The Edge Of Logic
by GeekBastard23
Summary: When a snow storm hits DC, Tony and Gibbs are stranded in a room together with nothing to do but stare at each other. Gibbs/Tony Slash.
1. Stranded

**The Edge of Logic**

**Chapter One: Stranded**

"Dead sailor in Cacapon State Park. Grab your gear."

Tony spun around in his chair and grabbed his backpack before he all but ran up to Gibbs, who was already halfway on his way towards the elevators. He didn't need to turn around to know that McGee and Ziva were on his heels, probably just as excited about a new case as Tony was. They hadn't caught one in almost two weeks and while Tony sometimes enjoyed finding new evidence in cold cases, the thrill of a new one, the thrill of the unknown, would always overtrump the tedious paper work.

They had split up into two cars as the state park was a two-hour-drive away from the Navy Yard and Gibbs didn't want to take any chances to be held up in any way. Tony was riding with him this time and they spent most of the drive in comfortable silence. Tony had long figured out that while Gibbs was willing to listen to him when he had something important on his mind, he usually wasn't keen on hearing random ramblings about movies or McGee's non-existent dating-life. So, Tony had mostly been staring out the window, watching the world before his eyes turn white as snow continued to fall, seemingly with no end to it. Even Gibbs' driving was slower and more careful than usual due to the pretty icy streets.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Tony put on a scarf and his NCIS cap to shield himself from the wind and the cold without any real success as he began to freeze as soon as they had approached the local LEO to gather the basic information about the dead lieutenant. She had been found dead in the outskirts of the forest, completely naked and had apparently died from a gunshot wound to the chest. They still had to wait for Ducky, of course, to confirm the cause of death, but it was pretty obvious. While Tony busied himself with taking photographs, Gibbs was talking to the LEOs and the guy who had found the corpse. Tony suppressed a shiver as he joined McGee, who was busy collecting evidence from the scene.

"Damn, it's cold here. Wish I had Ziva's thermal underwear," Tony said as he took a picture of a footprint that McGee had been pointing at.

"Yeah," McGee agreed and was about to continue when Gibbs' voice cut him off.

"When you two are done chit-chatting, I want you to pack up your stuff. We got work to do."

"Yes, Boss," McGee and Tony said in unison and hurried to get going.

Tony shivered again and hoped that he would be able to get into the car as soon as possible. There seemed to be no part of his body that wasn't frozen and he could already feel his throat scratch uncomfortably.

"McGee, Ziva, you two go back to DC, check up on financial records and get me a history of the lieutenant. Tony, you're with me."

Sighing inwardly, as he had hoped to get directed back to the Navy Yard, Tony got into the car again, stifling a cough that threatened to get out and would thus give away the fact that he wasn't feeling all that well.

"Where are we going, Boss?"

"Visit the husband. He only lives thirty miles from here in Higginsville."

-x-

Lt. Carrey's husband was reasonably shocked by his wife's death. He had been at work at a local bookstore when the news of her death had reached him. He had last seen her that very morning when she had gone to her weekly appointment at a psychiatrist's. He couldn't think of anything that might have indicated that his wife was anything else but fine. As far as he had known, she didn't have any enemies or problems, either at work or in her private life.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Tony grumbled when they were on their way back to DC.

The weather had gotten worse ever since they had arrived in Higginsville, causing even Gibbs to drive below the speed limit, which in return told Tony that the streets had to be just as horrible as he was feeling by now. He sneezed, not for the first time either, and was met with a quick glance from his boss before his eyes traveled back towards the street in front of them.

"You okay, DiNozzo?"

"'m fine," Tony mumbled and then furrowed his brow as he was able to make out a road block just ahead of them.

"Dammit," Gibbs swore before he slithered to a halt and rolled down the side window of the sedan to talk to the policeman, who was standing there, regulating the traffic. "We're federal agents," he said, flashing his badge. "Can we get through?"

"I'm sorry, Sir," the cop replied, giving him a forced smile. "Road's completely impassable and will be for a while if the snow continues to fall like that."

"We got an important case. You have to let us through," Gibbs' tone was so menacing now that even Tony winced ever so slightly.

The cop didn't even as much as flinch though as he answered calmly. "There's nothing I can do for you, Sir. You cannot drive right now, it's too risky. I'm sorry. Now please turn around and look for a motel for the night."

Grumbling, Gibbs did as he had been told and slowly drove back towards Higginsville, all the while carefully looking out for an available place to stay for the night. Tony decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being because he really didn't want to anger the bossman any further, not when he had to spend the night and possibly the next day with the guy.

Gibbs finally turned over at a small Bed & Breakfast and Tony hurried to get in there. He was still freezing despite the heater in the car and was glad when he entered the small lobby, where a fire place greeted them.

"I'll call McGee and make sure they made it home okay," he then said and received a nod from Gibbs, who was already on his way towards the check-in desk.

Tony cut the phone call short as soon as Tim had claimed that they had arrived sound and safe at the Navy Yard and were now looking into the Lieutenant's records, but hadn't found anything suspicious yet. He told them to call as soon as they had new information and then followed Gibbs up the stairs, both of their overnight bags in his hand. Tony sneezed again when his boss stopped in front of a room and opened the old door with some difficulties.

"One room?" Tony asked when he spotted two queen-sized beds in there.

"Only room available, DiNozzo," Gibbs growled again, impatiently closing the door behind Tony as if not to let in too much cold air from the hallway.

He grabbed his overnight bag from Tony's hand and threw it onto the bed next to the door which left Tony to take the bed next to the ancient-looking radiator. He plopped down on the bed and got rid of his coat, scarf and gloves before he looked around.

"No TV?" he then complained, causing Gibbs to scowl at him ever so slightly. "What am I supposed to do here?"

"How about reviewing the information about our dead Lieutenant?" Gibbs replied, rolling his eyes.

"All night long?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo," he answered, clearly annoyed by now and it seemed like he wanted to continue as Tony took a deep breath.

He breathed in the somewhat dry air and saw himself coughing violently immediately. He tried to get a grip on himself, but failed miserably until a hand gently slapped his back to help him out.

"You sure you okay?" Gibbs asked, when Tony had finally settled again, the annoyance from only moments ago completely vanished from his voice.

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "I'm just a little cold, that's all."

"Take a shower, get you warmed up," Gibbs then ordered and Tony knew better than to object, after all, a shower did sound more than wonderful.

-x-

When Tony emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, only wearing a towel around his waist, Gibbs was sitting on his bed, Tony's laptop in front of him. He had furrowed a brow and was currently squinting at the screen.

"Can I help you with something?" Tony asked and leaned over Gibbs' shoulder to look at the screen himself.

"How about getting dressed?" Gibbs said without looking up. "And then tell me what the hell McGee wants to tell me with his cryptic email."

Tony chuckled ever so slightly, secretly marveling about the fact that Gibbs had even been able to start his laptop at all. He quickly changed into his jeans, t-shirt and OSU-hoodie before he snatched the laptop out of Gibbs' hands and quickly skimmed through the short text that McGee had sent them. He furrowed his brow as he turned to look at Gibbs who was staring impassively at him.

"What's cryptic about it? He just says that they haven't found anything yet and that there's nothing either they or we can do at the moment because the streets are a mess and we cannot go anywhere."

Gibbs met his glance for a moment before he looked away and shifted away from Tony ever so slightly.

"Would be cryptic to you, too if you couldn't read a damn thing."

Tony let out a laugh that turned into another cough before he answered. "Forgot your glasses, huh?"

Gibbs didn't dignify that with an answer as he turned to look at him again, scrutinizing him.

"You feeling better now?"

"I'm fine, Boss, really," Tony tried to reassure him but fell silent under Gibbs's glare. "I mean, I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but it's probably just a little cold. Nothing to worry about."

"Okay," Gibbs seemed to be appeased for the moment before he looked around the room as if to figure out what to do with the rest of the evening.

"Want to play some poker?" Tony then asked, remembering that he had a pack of cards in his bag, just in case.

"Yeah, why not? Not like there's anything else to do here." Gibbs sounded slightly annoyed again. "You got any cards?"

"I'm always prepared, Gibbs," Tony tried to lighten the mood as he reached for his bag and then sat down cross-legged on Gibbs' bed, hoping that the weather would get better soon as he was not entirely sure whether or not he wanted to spend more time than necessary with an apparently disgruntled Gibbs.

* * *

><p><em>AN:_

_Disclaimer: NCIS and its characters don't belong to me.  
><em>

_Let me know whether or not you'd like this continued! :)_


	2. Frozen

_A/N: Wow, awesome reviews were awesome! You absolutely made my day! Thanks.  
>I hope you also like the next chapter! :)<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two: Frozen<strong>

"Suck it up, Marine," Tony grinned at Gibbs after he had all but trashed him at poker over the last couple of hours. "I've wiped you out."

Gibbs looked like he wanted to say something as Tony had to sneeze again and a slight shiver ran down his spine. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Gibbs look at him again with an expression that looked vaguely worried. Not that Tony didn't appreciate the sentiment, but Gibbs was clearly overreacting. Granted, his head and throat were throbbing painfully by now, but besides that, he was mostly fine. He suppressed another shiver as he got up and stretched.

"Should probably try to get some sleep, huh?" he then asked, looking back at Gibbs who was still sitting on his bed. "So that we can go back to DC early tomorrow."

Gibbs nodded thoughtfully and glanced out the window. Tony followed his stare and winced ever so slightly when he saw the snow still falling down incessantly in the dim light of the streetlamp just outside their window.

"Wouldn't count on it," Gibbs grumbled before he stood up and disappeared into the bathroom.

Tony shrugged out of his sweater and was about to get rid of his jeans when the lights above him flickered for a moment before they lit up again. He knitted a brow and once again looked out the window. As beautiful as the snow appeared to be, he really wanted it to be gone by tomorrow morning. He hated sitting around with nothing to do but wait for the time to pass. He finally pulled off his jeans, so that he was only wearing a t-shirt and boxer shorts, and quickly got under the covers, just in time with Gibbs re-entering the room.

"Light went out here?"

"Yep," Tony replied and took a sip from a water bottle to get rid of the scratchy feeling in his throat in the hope of not having to cough again.

Gibbs just shook his head, undressed himself to his shirt and boxers just like Tony and turned off the light.

"Good night," Tony said, draping the sheets tighter around him.

"Night, DiNozzo."

-x-

The first thing his mind registered the next morning, even before he was completely awake, was that it was _cold_. Even though he was still safely tugged in, he was not only freezing, but actually shivering, too. He drew a deep breath and realized with a start that it sounded rather wheezy. He sat up and was about reach for the hankies that were lying on the nightstand when he saw Gibbs kneeling in front of the small fireplace, apparently trying to start a fire there. Tony groggily rubbed his eyes and coughed before spoke.

"What are you doing?"

His boss just turned around, raising an eyebrow, apparently only just suppressing to roll his eyes.

"Making a fire."

"I can see that," Tony replied indignantly and pulled the sheets tightly around him again. "But why?"

"Power's out. And as those idiots here only got electric heating, I'm trying to keep us from freezing to death."

"Damn," Tony shook his head and reached out for his jeans and sweater. "Is it just us?"

"Nope, power's out all over town. Talked to McGee a couple of minutes ago, he says the forecast doesn't get any better. He thinks that we might be stuck here for a couple of days."

Tony groaned and immediately regretted it as his throat throbbed painfully again. He watched Gibbs busying himself with the fire and was glad when the older man finally succeeded in lighting it. He wiped his hands on his jeans before he stood up and finally looked at Tony, that weird worried expression from the night before back on his face.

"You okay?"

"I'm fi…," Tony started, but fell silent when he noticed Gibbs' glare. "I don't know. Head's a bit fuzzy and my throat's… a bit sore. I've had worse, really."

Tony gave him a lopsided grin, hoping that it would convince Gibbs, but he just shook his head.

"I'll say," he replied. "I'll head out for a while, see whether there's any drugstore around here."

"Want me to join you?"

Tony hopped out of bed, happy for any change of scenery, but immediately regretted the rash movement as the world in front of his eyes suddenly began to spin. He took a deep breath and sat back down, closing his eyes.

"Guess, I'll stay here," he said as soon as he had somewhat regained his composure.

"Probably a good idea, DiNozzo. I'll have my cell with me just in case."

"Yeah, can't call you. My battery's dead."

Gibbs gave him a glare.

"What?" Tony exclaimed as he reached for his phone. "Not my fault those new fancy phones have the battery service life of a day fly."

"And you're making fun of my old one. It's still working," Gibbs grumbled, then nodded curtly at him before he was out the door.

Tony sank back onto the warm bed, trying to shake off the slightly uncomfortable sense of foreboding. He knew that he was about to get hit by the flu, all the signs were there after all. Not that he had liked being sick before anything had happened, but ever since he had had the pleasure of encountering the plague, every flu, hell, every cough, was not be underestimated. He hadn't been sick in quite some time now, but this time it apparently was inevitable with the chilliness outside and power being down and all. He slipped under the sheets again, secretly glad that Gibbs had been smart enough to think about a drug store.

-x-

Gibbs returned with not only a few drugs for Tony, but also with a few bottles of water and two steaming cups of what Tony assumed was coffee.

"Here," Gibbs handed him one of the mugs. "Owner of the motel apparently has a wood-burning stove. And I called Ducky. He says you have to take these," he gave him a couple of pills, "every four hours. And you have to take it easy, alright?"

"I know, Boss. Thanks," Tony answered, giving him a rather surprised smile, having not expected the soothing tone in Gibbs' voice, before he took a sip from the beverage only to find out that it wasn't coffee but peppermint tea.

"I hope, you're drinking coffee, at least?" he grinned at Gibbs who simply raised an eyebrow at him as he sat down on his own bed.

"You wouldn't want to see me without a coffee in the morning, trust me."

"Oh, I believe you," Tony smirked, earning himself a rather gentle slap upside the head. "So, what are we supposed to do now? Did McGee send some information?"

"He did," Gibbs replied, "but we should probably watch the battery on your laptop, too, since the power's out."

"Right."

"Up for some poker?"

"You want revenge for last night?" Tony grinned and was already about to get up as Gibbs settled down on his bed.

"Yup."

"You know, this reminds me of a Lifetime movie," Tony slightly smirked before he took a sip from his tea. "Two guys alone in a motel room, the fireplace, completely cut off from the outside world. Very romantic."

"We're not cut off, DiNozzo, and there's nothing romantic about a power outage," Gibbs growled, though he couldn't quite hide the grin on his face.

"Well, we can still heat things up a bit by playing strip poker."

Gibbs let out a laugh before he all but threw the deck of cards at Tony. "Shut up and shuffle."

-x-

By the time they had eaten lunch and were back in their room, Tony was literally shaking. He didn't even know what was up with him. Granted, it hadn't exactly been warm down there, but it wasn't like it was freezing either. He had already wrapped his scarf round his neck, but little had it helped to get rid of the sore throat. Thankful for the still warming fire in their room, he quickly slipped back into his bed, pulling up the sheets to his nose. He didn't need to look at Gibbs to know that the guy was really worried by now as he had eyed him suspiciously at all times during lunch. Tony knew that he was doing a poor job of hiding how bad he was actually feeling, but he simply didn't have the energy to keep up the façade of the ever-joking clown. Not that he needed that mask with Gibbs anyway, but he would have still preferred not to be under the constant surveillance of those icy blue eyes.

The next few hours were spent in comfortable silence with Tony drifting in and out of sleep. Gibbs had been reading a book mostly, though Tony wondered how he was even able to read it without his glasses. He wanted to ask him, but couldn't quite muster up the energy to even turn around.

-x-

"Tony, wake up."

Tony slowly opened his eyes as he felt a hand gently shaking his shoulder. He turned around only to be faced with his boss' blue eyes mere inches away from his own.

"Hey," he pressed out sleepily. "What's up?"

"You got to take your pills," Gibbs replied rather softly. "And take this, too."

Furrowing a brow, and only now realizing that Gibbs was only wearing his t-shirt, Tony took the older man's sweater.

"I can't take that," Tony replied emphatically. "I won't be the reason you're freezing to death."

"Shut up," Gibbs all but ordered. "I'm not cold."

As if to emphasize his point, Gibbs grabbed Tony's hand for a moment and indeed, it was rather warm against Tony's skin. The younger man felt a shiver running down his spine again and reluctantly pulled on the sweater.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

Only now did he realize that it was already dark outside, bathing the room in a somewhat gray light.

"How long have I been out?"

"About two hours, I guess."

"Sorry," Tony said. "Didn't mean to."

"Don't worry about it. Might be a good idea to sleep it off anyway."

Again, there was that soothing tone and Tony felt his insides clench at the thought that Gibbs was actually that worried about him over a little touch of the flu. He tried to give him a smile, but wasn't entirely sure whether or not the corners of his mouth actually twitched. His boss just nodded at him before he retreated to his own bed and Tony turned around again, hoping that it actually was as easy as to simply sleep it off.

-x-

Once again, Tony was drifting in and out of sleep. He had no idea what time it was or if he had actually slept for more than a few minutes at a stretch. All he knew was that his head was all fuzzy, that it actually felt oddly disconnected from his body and that he was freezing, despite the jeans and the two pullovers he was still wearing.

He didn't know how long he was lying there, desperately trying to warm himself up without any real success. He was sure that he was running a fever by the time he felt something warm on his back and soon on his shoulders, too. He wanted to turn around to figure out what Gibbs had managed to heat up for him, but found himself savoring in the bliss of the warmth, so that he simply closed his eyes again, snuggled into the heat and fell into a deep slumber shortly afterwards.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be great!_


	3. Warmed

_A/N: Wow, those reviews really kept on coming! :) I don't think I've ever gotten that many after only two chapters. You guys are awesome! Thanks._

_I meant to reply to you each of you individually, but I had to deactivate PMs for the moment because there were a few people out there, who have found it necessary to point out to me that being gay, writing slash and stuff is sinful and that I will go to hell for being/doing that._ _I don't share their opinion, of course, but those PMs still bothered me, so I switched it off... sorry._

_Anyways... I hope you like this chapter! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three: Warmed<strong>

Tony drifted into consciousness, when he felt something tickling the back of his neck. Still halfway asleep, he lifted his hand to shoo away the fly, when he remembered that it was winter and there was no way that it could have been one of those. He let his arm drop towards the mattress again as he felt the tickle again. He tried to turn around and only now did he realize that he couldn't because something was holding him firmly in place. Still not having opened his eyes, Tony tried to remember where he was, but his mind was somewhat foggy. It was only when he was about to take a deep breath that his throat made itself perceivable again by scratching painfully. Now, he remembered again. He was in a motel, stranded, sick and with…

Gibbs.

He finally opened his eyes and turned around, careful not to wake up the still sleeping man. And sure enough, Gibbs' head was resting against the nape of his neck and it had been his stubble that had continuously tickled Tony there. The rest of the older man's body was either pressed flush against his back or in case of his legs tangled up with Tony's.

Tony tensed up for a moment as the realization was dawning on him that he was cuddled by Gibbs. He knew that the thought alone should freak him out, but he felt oddly calm about it and he couldn't deny the fact that it was feeling strangely good and that Gibbs was so comfortably warm against him that he wasn't quite sure whether he wanted to move at all. He relaxed and was just about to close his eyes again, when Gibbs next to him moved, nestling up to his neck. Then as suddenly as he had started it, as suddenly did he stop as he apparently realized what he had been doing. Tony felt him move away from him and immediately, the heat that Gibbs had been radiating was gone and Tony involuntarily shivered again.

"You awake?" Gibbs gruff voice cut through the silence as he got out of bed.

"Hmm," Tony just replied, stretching. "Why were we cuddling, Boss?" he then added, still a bit confused about it.

"I wanted to sleep, DiNozzo."

Furrowing a brow, Tony looked up at the older man, who was rubbing a hand over his face before he turned around and threw some logs into the still smoldering fireplace.

"And you can't sleep unless you share a bed with me?" Tony asked and then sneezed.

"Your teeth were chattering. How could anyone sleep with that? I just… made sure you were warm."

Tony stared at him, his mouth open. He knew that he had been freezing last night, but not that much. Or was it that Gibbs actually cared? Care enough to be willing to share a bed with him, so that Tony wouldn't be freezing to death? Feeling a weird something spread in his stomach, he realized that he was oddly touched by that. Of course, he had always known that his boss would watch his six no matter what, but he still hadn't expected anything like that. Gibbs met his stare rather warily for a short moment, but remained silent as he picked up his bag from the floor and pulled out a polo-shirt and was about to disappear into the bathroom, when Tony finally found his voice again.

"Thanks, Gibbs."

The older man turned around, nodded curtly and then he was gone, leaving Tony sitting on the bed, still feeling slightly out of balance. Only when a cough - that soon enough turned into a bout of coughing - caught him by surprise, did he move again and he reached for his pills and a bottle of water to get rid of the scratching in his throat.

-x-

They spent the rest of the morning in relative silence, except for Gibbs' inquiries about Tony's health. He was still feeling rather sick, his head just wouldn't stop pounding, but he was feeling a little better in general. He was freezing, even though it had to be rather hot in their room judging by the fact that Gibbs was still only wearing a polo-shirt and showed no sign of any discomfort, while Tony was still wearing two sweaters and was muffled up under the blanket most of the time.

After lunch, Tony had sprawled out on his bed, lying on his stomach and was playing solitaire as Gibbs' cell phone chirped to life. He turned around to see the older guy furrowing a brow at something that was said and then grunted something that sounded suspiciously like 'wonderful'.

"What's up?" Tony asked as soon as Gibbs had hung up and had thrown the phone back onto the nightstand.

"That was Ziva. Seems like we'll be stuck here for at least two more days if the forecasts are right."

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Anything on the case?"

"Didn't mention anything," Gibbs replied and furrowed a brow as if the thought had only just occurred to him.

Tony grinned at him, shaking his head. "And you didn't ask. Where are your thoughts, Boss? Not thinking about the case. That must be a first."

"Shut it, Tony," Gibbs replied, not quite able to hide the slight smirk on his face. "It's not like we can do anything from here anyway."

"Might be a good idea to let the probies fly solo," Tony shrugged, really meaning it, too. "They'll check in as soon as they've found something anyway."

Gibbs just nodded and picked up his book again. Tony looked at him for a moment, marveling in the realization that he didn't even have to squint as his eyes moved over the pages. Not able to suppress the burning question, Tony sat up and eyed him more closely.

"What, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked without looking up, apparently having sensed that he was being watched.

"Nothing… just, how are you able to read it without your glasses?"

Gibbs shot him a withering glare before he held up the book, so that Tony could make out the text. He let out a laugh as he saw the large-printed words.

"Ah, one mystery solved," Tony laughed and as always over those last few days, it quickly turned into a cough.

"That's what you get for laughing at my book," Gibbs grumbled good-naturedly, but Tony didn't miss the slight crease on his forehead as he was staring at him.

"I'm okay," Tony answered before Gibbs could even ask. "Stop looking at me like I'm a five-year-old. I'd tell you if I was feeling worse. You know that I'm usually whining about a paper cut for hours."

Gibbs snorted humorlessly, still staring at him intently before he answered. "I know that, DiNozzo, but I also know you insist on being fine when you're not."

Tony bowed his head for a moment, unable to look back at the guy as he realized that he was probably right. But it wasn't like he had been lying before, he did feel better, at least in comparison to the day before and it wasn't like Gibbs could do anything about it anyway. Tony looked up again and nodded at Gibbs who just raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he resumed reading his book and Tony went back to his deck of cards.

-x-

"Payback's a bitch, huh?" Tony stated after a devastating loss to Gibbs in poker a couple of hours later.

"Told you. It was only a matter of time."

Gibbs smirked, held out his hand and Tony placed a few dollar bills there. He had lost a bit more than he had made the previous day, but he didn't really care. They had been playing for the last two hours and by now, his head felt like it would burst sometime in the next few seconds and he was powered out as if he had just run for miles. Once again, he felt Gibbs' eyes on him and he sat up straighter, meeting his gaze squarely. The older man was sporting a rather weird expression at the moment. He was slightly flushed, probably due to the apparently warm temperatures in the room, his eyes staring sternly at Tony, while his lips were curled into a half-smile.

"I should probably go to bed," Tony mumbled as he suppressed another shiver.

Gibbs got up now to sit back down on his own bed and Tony popped an aspirin. It would probably not do any good, but it wouldn't make the headache any worse, that was for sure. He slipped under the covers, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he was still wearing his jeans, but there was no way in hell, he would get rid of them as he was still too cold.

"Night, Gibbs," Tony mumbled as he pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"You mind if I read a little more or does the light bother you?"

Tony turned around and raised an eyebrow, biting back the smirk that was threatening to appear on his lips. Did Gibbs just really ask his permission?

"Keep reading, no problem," he replied then, once again strangely touched by the sentiment.

Gibbs just nodded once and then his attention was back on the book. Tony kept on lying there for a few more moments, studying the other man's features. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, the book in one hand, while the other one was resting on his knee as he absent-mindedly drew circles on the fabric of his jeans. His forehead was crinkled as he was concentrating on the text in front of him. Tony caught the corners of his own mouth twitch as if he was about to smile and quickly moved, so that he was lying on his back now and stared at the ceiling instead. He took a few breaths and silently prayed that they would be able to drive back home the next day.

-x-

An hour later, Tony turned around for the seemingly hundredth time. Why couldn't he find a spot that was both comfortable _and_ warm? He had moved towards the right edge of the bed now, his back towards Gibbs, who was still reading his book, and sighed.

"You okay?" Gibbs' surprisingly soft voice cut through his inner whining.

"No," he replied sighing. "It's so cold."

"It's like a hundred degrees in here, Tony."

"I'm still freezing, sorry," Tony mumbled.

He could hear Gibbs get out of bed and only a few moments later, he was squatting next to Tony's bed and placed a hand on Tony's forehead, pushing his hair away from it.

"I think you're running a fever," he then said, his blue eyes staring into Tony's green ones.

"Hmm," Tony replied. "Can't be, I'm too cold for having a fever."

Gibbs just gave him a half-smile and then stood up again, presumably to go back to his own bed. In fact, Tony had already closed eyes, when he felt the mattress dip under him and a few moments later, Gibbs was pressing up against him from behind again. Tony sighed as he felt the warmth radiate from Gibbs and let himself bask in it for a few moments before he tried to turn around, but the other man was holding him firmly in place.

"Gibbs, you don't need to. Really."

"Suck it up and don't be wuss."

"I'm not being one, but it's really not necessary," Tony tried again, all the while actually moving closer to Gibbs' heat.

"Did you or did you not sleep better last night with me here?" Gibbs asked, his voice having lost its prior softness as the gruffness was back in place.

"I did, but…" Tony started but was cut off by his boss.

"No buts, Tony. And now go to sleep."

"On it, Boss," Tony replied, smirking ever so slightly as he relaxed into Gibbs' touch.

He felt the guy's arm come around his waist, drawing him, if possible, even closer and Tony sighed again, finally closing his eyes and letting the warmth wash over him as the long-awaited sleep pulled him in.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Did I mention that reviews are awesome? xD_


	4. Torn

_A/N: Wow, thanks again for the many reviews! You guys are really awesome, I hope you know that ;)  
>I hope you like the next chapter, too xD<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four: Torn<strong>

He was having that dream again. That awesome dream where you would slowly wake up, realizing you're holding someone in your arms and that you are having no desire to flee the scene for once. There's nothing more important than to stay exactly like that because there is no place on earth you'd rather be and you simply are not willing to move as much as a single inch.

Tony sighed and pulled himself closer to the warm body next to him, pressing his lips to the nape of the other's neck and placed a soft kiss there. Moving, if possible, even closer now, Tony's arm came around the waist. Taking a deep breath, he was able to smell a mixture of soap, Old Spice and just a faint odor of wood. He stilled for a moment, trying to connect the dots in his mind and he suddenly realized that the body in front of him was far too solid to be a woman's. His eyes snapped open and he breathed in sharply as he became aware of the fact that this wasn't a girl in front of him, but a man, the one and only Leroy Jethro Gibbs. It took Tony another moment to register that even with his boss being the one he was holding in his arms, he wasn't quite ready to let go just yet.

He was determined to just close his eyes again as it was still dark outside and drift back to sleep, probably not even remembering waking up at all, as another part of his body suddenly begged for attention. How he hadn't noticed it before would probably remain a mystery for all the times to follow. But he was most definitely and unmistakably hard. And he was pressing against Gibbs' butt, too.

Horrified, Tony jerked away from him and clumsily climbed out of bed, trying to be stealth in order not to wake up Gibbs as he wasn't exactly keen on being caught with an impressive hard-on, after all.

Grabbing the small reading light from Gibbs' nightstand, he made his way into the bathroom, where he carefully closed the door behind him. Bracing his hands on the sink, Tony stared at his reflection in the mirror in the dim light. He was pale, his hair disheveled and his eyes were wide, the pupils dilated ever so slightly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves and his heartbeat. He ran a tired hand over his face, trying to clear his head somewhat. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened back there. He grabbed some tissues and blew his nose.

Subtly shaking his head, he looked at himself again and realized that he was freaking out over nothing. This didn't mean anything. He had had a dream and he had thought that he had had a girl in his arms. His body's reaction had probably nothing to do with the man himself. It had all been a figment of his too vivid imagination for sure.

Splashing the cold water into his face, he tried to forget that the whole thing had even happened in the first place. He would just go back in there, lie down on Gibbs' bed and go back to sleep. He had already switched off the small light and had the door handle in his hand, when it occurred to him that he couldn't just sleep in the other man's unoccupied bed. How would he explain it to Gibbs, when he had generously shared his body heat all night in order to make him, Tony, feel better? Sighing, he finally opened the bathroom door, slipped back into bed and was internally cheering at himself for successfully pulling off not waking up the other man, when he felt a strong arm encircling his waist as Gibbs pulled him closer before he sleepily mumbled.

"Where have you been?"

Tony stiffened under his touch and then forced himself to relax again. This meant nothing, Gibbs wasn't even fully awake.

"Bathroom," he finally mumbled in response.

"Hmm," Gibbs replied and snuggled closer to him. "Don't do that again. Cold."

Tony held his breath for a few moments, trying to figure out how to reply to that, but was surprised when he heard Gibbs' breathing even out again. When he was finally sure that the guy had actually fallen back asleep, Tony let himself bask in the warmth of the other man, willing himself to forget that the last half an hour or so had ever even happened.

-x-

Tony awoke with a grunt a few hours later, when Gibbs' arm hit him squarely in the gut. He opened his eyes, gasping for air and saw the older man looking at him bleary-eyed. He was lying on his stomach, one arm tucked under his head, while the other one was now resting on Tony's sweater-clad gut.

"Sorry," Gibbs said now, not sounding very much awake yet.

"No problem," Tony grinned at him ever so slightly as he disentangled himself and got out of bed.

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked, sitting up and giving him an once-over.

Tony felt the blood drain from his face as he thought about the answer to that one. He was still confused, still embarrassed about what happened to him in the middle of the night. He quickly went through everything that had happened ever since that could have given him away when he realized that the guy had probably just asked him about his health and nothing else.

"I'm fine, I guess," Tony hesitantly answered, internally checking up on himself before continuing. "Throat's still sore, headache's still there, but more tolerable and I don't think I still have a fever."

Gibbs nodded at him and gave him an unexpected half-smile. Tony felt his ears get hot in a flash and sat down on the edge of the bed, his back towards Gibbs. Apparently having picked up on Tony's mood, Gibbs moved and sat down next to him, softly bumping his shoulder against the younger man's.

"You sure you're alright?"

Tony turned ever so slightly, once again thrown off by the soft tone in his voice. As he looked at the man next to him, who was currently staring right back at him, his hair sticking up in weird places despite the marine haircut, Tony felt his heart pick up pace again. Clearly, Gibbs had no recollection of the night before otherwise he wouldn't be sitting that close to him.

"I'm good," Tony finally pressed out, averting his glance to stare at his hands instead. "Just tired and kind of beat."

"Then go to back to bed. I'll check with downstairs and see whether the weather's going to change soon. At least, the power's back on."

"Huh?" Tony replied confused, earning himself a slight smirk.

"Heater's working."

Tony turned to stare at the object as if he could literally see the warmth it was radiating. He remained silent as he felt the hope rise inside of him that there might actually be a chance today for them to get back to DC and that he could therefore go back to sleeping alone in his bed. He was still deep in thoughts, when he felt Gibbs move next to him more than he actually saw it as he stood up, softly patted his shoulder and then disappeared into bathroom, leaving Tony sitting there, desperately trying to get his heart rate under control. He knew that had to get out of there and as soon as possible. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy Gibbs' company because he had always done so, but all of this was too much for him all of a sudden.

Looking out the window however, Tony saw his hopes of a departure in the near future dash away. It was still snowing relentlessly. He briefly entertained the idea of trying to persuade Gibbs to go back anyway, but discarded it soon afterwards. The older man wouldn't even consider it if it would put them both in danger without a real reason.

Sighing, Tony lay back down onto the bed, slipping under the covers again in order to sustain the warmth he was currently feeling because there was no way in hell that he would make Gibbs believe that he was still freezing today. There was simply no way that he would share a bed with the guy again.

-x-

"DiNozzo," Gibbs' gruff voice cut through the rather uncomfortable silence that had been all but crushing them over the last few hours. "Stop pacing already and tell me what's on your mind."

Tony stopped in mid-step and turned around to look at his boss, who was sitting on his bed and was reading his book again. Gibbs was right, of course. Tony had been walking around the room for the last couple of minutes, trying to make his mind shut up about everything that had happened. After he had lain in bed for hours, never once uttering a single word, he had suddenly felt the need to move and as he was still feeling too sick to go outside, there was no other way but pacing around the room. And of course, Gibbs had to put an end to that before he had been able to convince himself that the walls were not actually coming closer together with every step that he had taken.

He sighed now, running a hand through his hair as he plopped down on his bed again, avoiding Gibbs' searching eyes as he answered.

"I just want to go home. I'm tired of sitting around here with nothing to do."

"Complaining won't make the snow stop falling, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied sternly.

"You don't say," Tony replied sarcastically.

He saw Gibbs laying his book onto the nightstand as he leaned back against the headrest of his bed, glaring at him.

"Just spit it out."

"Spit out what?" Tony replied somewhat confused as he had no idea where Gibbs was getting at.

"What's bothering you? You've been grumpy ever since you woke up."

Tony winced ever so slightly at the harsh tone, but refused to explain his behavior.

"You're calling me grumpy? What are you, then? Master of all grumpiness?"

"Tony," Gibbs started over and the younger man felt his stomach give a slight jolt at the suddenly soothing uttering of his name.

He turned to look closely at the other man, who had his mask of indifference on his face firmly in place, and immediately regretted that he had said anything. The guy had looked out for him those last couple of days and didn't deserve Tony's silent treatment. After all, it hadn't exactly been his fault that Tony had woken up aroused and pressing into him. He sighed and held up his hand as he saw Gibbs open his mouth to continue.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Tony stated, locking eyes with him. "I'm just cranky because there's nothing to do. I know it's not your fault."

"Okay and you're sure there's nothing else?"

"Yup," Tony replied and gave him his most sincere smile. "How about some poker?"

"Sounds good."

-x-

"You know, ten years ago, I would have make a happy dance if someone would have told me I'd get off for days from work, doing nothing and still earning money for it."

"I bet you would have," Gibbs replied, smirking at him from the where he was still sitting on Tony's bed.

They had stopped playing poker about an hour ago and ever since had simply talked about nothing in particular and Tony had realized with some surprise that the other man actually had the ability to make small talk. What had surprised him even more, though, was the fact that he had felt himself relax, felt himself get comfortable with sitting so close to Gibbs again without being reminded of what happened the night before.

"So, what has changed since then?"

"I don't know," Tony replied, shrugging. "NCIS is kind of my life, you know. I love my job, it's all I need. I know that I should feel bad about it, should look for someone to… I don't know, settle down with or something, but I don't think I'm missing out."

Gibbs remained silent for a few moments, tilting his head ever so slightly as if he would be able to read Tony's thoughts that way.

"It's not all there is, Tony."

"I know that, Gibbs," he hesitantly replied, not quite sure how they had ended up on that particular topic all of a sudden. "Maybe I just haven't found what I'm looking for yet."

"Keep looking," Gibbs replied softly and Tony felt his heart grow heavier as sadness crossed the older man's face for a moment or two. "There's nothing better than to wake up next to someone you feel comfortable with, someone you love."

Tony stared at him wide-eyed, only now remembering his thoughts shortly after he had woken up in the middle of the night. He knew that he wanted exactly what Gibbs had just described to him. Feeling his cheeks grow somewhat hotter, Tony bowed his head, unable to look into Gibbs' eyes for only a moment longer as he remembered how the older man had felt in his arms this morning.

Quickly directing his thoughts away from that, he sighed once again and shivered ever so slightly, hoping that Gibbs hadn't noticed. He was actually feeling better by now. At least he wasn't that cold anymore because the chill had reached a level that was just bearable with the two sweaters he was still wearing and the heater finally working again.

"Time for bed?" Gibbs finally interrupted his train of thought as he scrutinized him from head to toe.

"Yeah, I guess," Tony just replied and slipped under the covers again.

"Still need your personal heater tonight?" Gibbs asked, smirking at him ever so slightly as he was getting up from the bed now, looking oddly torn.

Tony considered it for a moment and just shrugged before he - and he really didn't know why - nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

"Okay," Gibbs simply said as he got into bed next to him and moved closer.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Let me know what you think, please! :)_


	5. Incepted

_A/N: Once again, thank you so much for your feedback, reviews, favorites and story alerts! :) You guys are absolutely awesome!_

_Also a little warning for this chapter... it contains slight spoilers for the end of the movie Inception. Nothing too spoilerish, but I just though I'd mention it ;)  
>Hope you like it! :)<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: Incepted<strong>

Tony had survived the night without any complications worth mentioning. Granted, he had woken up once in the middle of the night, pressed up against the other man again, but this time he had not needed any time to persuade himself to let go, not after what had happened so unexpectedly the night before. Still, in the morning he had to disentangle himself from Gibbs' grip as he got up. The older man had held him close, his face buried in Tony's shoulder, one arm around his waist, his feet entangled with Tony's. Briefly had Tony wondered if Gibbs was like that all the time, when he was dating someone and woke up with someone next to him.

He flashed back to their earlier conversation and realized that the guy had probably been only talking about Shannon there. He secretly felt honored because Gibbs barely ever talked about her when asked, let alone willingly give information about his life with her. He was still having troubles imagining the softer side of Gibbs, though he was sure that he had seen glimpses of that over the last couple of days. After all, he had cared enough to put up with his ramblings and whining, had shared a bed with him and had basically checked up on him every hour to make sure he was doing okay. If Gibbs was like that all the time when he really cared about someone, Tony had a hard time imagining why all those ex-wives had ended up wanting a divorce. He, at least, could get used to that. Not the being sick part, but the caring Gibbs one.

Tony went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He was looking better than the last time he had checked. He wasn't so pale anymore, instead his cheeks were slightly flushed and for the first time in four days, he didn't have that evil hammer banging on his head repeatedly. He internally went through all the other parts of his body that had hurt before and was relieved when he realized that only his throat was still sore, but even that pain was somewhat toned down by now. Smiling at himself in the reflection of the mirror, he wondered for how long they would be stuck in the motel. Now that he was actually feeling better, he didn't find it all that terrible anymore.

-x-

"I'm going out for a walk," Gibbs interrupted Tony's game of Tetris on his laptop.

"Can I come?" Tony asked, setting the computer aside, tilting his head ever so slightly to look at his boss more closely.

"Not sure that's a good idea, it's still snowing and you're not exactly well, yet."

"Aw, come on, Gibbs, I'm no invalid," Tony replied, staring at him with what he hoped were his best puppy eyes before he added. "Please?"

Gibbs just shook his head and snorted before he threw Tony's scarf and hat at him.

"Then hurry up, we don't have all day."

"Actually, Boss," Tony quipped. "I think we do."

Gibbs reached out and placed a well-aimed slap upside Tony's head, but it was missing its usual severity. Tony just grinned at him, somewhat glad that things were seemingly going back to normal, quickly dressed into his coat and followed Gibbs out of the room. Once outside, Tony couldn't help but take a deep breath, happy about the fact that he was able to see and smell something other than the tiny hotel room. Snow was still falling and the streets were covered by a thick layer of snow, still making it impossible to drive anywhere.

They slowly made their way around town in comfortable silence, careful not to slip on the icy sidewalks. Tony coughed once and immediately felt Gibbs' eyes on him again, but he hurried to reassure him with a wave of his hand and a quick 'I'm okay'. And he really was, too. The fresh air had finally cleared his sleepy brain cells and for the first time in four days, he was able to think straight.

"You know, when I was little, I used to love the winters in Long Island. Everything seemed just so magical. My mom would take me ice skating and for two hours or so everything seemed to be just perfect."

"Hmm," Gibbs replied noncommittally.

"I remember after she died that I all but harassed my dad to come skating with me, but he would just brush it off and send one of the nannies to go with me."

The older man still remained silent next to him and Tony cast him a quick glance and realized that he was sporting a rather grim expression now, his cheeks slightly flushed, his eyebrows building one tight line.

"But I bet," Tony continued without thinking. "You didn't say no to Kelly, did you?"

Gibbs had stopped now and was glaring at Tony for a moment before he subtly shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Tony, having just realized that he was asking pretty personal questions, had already opened his mouth to apologize when the other man finally answered.

"Yeah, I did take her skating once or twice, but it was rather me that needed the help standing up."

"Did you, now?" Tony grinned at him, marveling about the fact that Gibbs had just actually revealed a flaw.

"Yup," Gibbs returned his grin now and even though, his eyes were looking at him somewhat sad, he seemed to be years younger and Tony suddenly realized how the guy had managed to get married that often because that smile, he was sure, had made women swoon all over the place.

They stared at each for a moment before Tony averted his glance almost forcefully and his glance fell upon an electrical store behind Gibbs. Still smiling at the other man, Tony grabbed his arm and all but dragged him into the store. He only stopped when they were in front of a long line of movies.

"I got a laptop and no headache anymore. That means movie night, Gibbs."

"Yeah, right," Gibbs grumbled rather good-naturedly as he eyed the display rather suspiciously.

"What are you in the mood for? Western? Comedy? Romance or action?"

"Pick whatever you like," he just offered.

Tony walked up and down the aisle for a few minutes, searching for the perfect movie for them to watch. He didn't really know what he was in the mood for, but it had to be something good so that Gibbs would like it, too.

"What about _Inception_, Boss? Perfect mix of action and a really good story."

"I don't care."

"I'll take that as a yes," Tony just grinned and made a beeline for the checkout counter.

-x-

An hour later, Tony sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard and waiting for Gibbs to finally emerge from the bathroom. They had each taken a hot shower after they had arrived in their room. Even though Tony wasn't quite warmed up yet and was kind of drowsy, he felt comfortable enough at the moment. He was really looking forward to watching the movie again as it had become an instant favorite when he had first seen it.

"You ready?" Gibbs startled him out of his thoughts as he came out of the bathroom, wearing jeans and one of his white undershirts.

"All set."

"Scoot over then," Gibbs smirked as Tony moved over.

Tony waited until the other man had settled next to him under the sheets and then placed the laptop at their feet. Looking at Gibbs before he hit the play button, he said.

"Don't even blink during the movie. You could miss everything."

Gibbs just snorted and nodded before he averted his eyes from Tony and focused on the small screen in front of him instead.

-x-

The first thing Tony registered, when he woke up, was that something was going on with his hair. He tried to determine what exactly it was as he realized that there was also a steady heartbeat right under his left ear. Trying to pull himself from his drowsy state, but still being unwilling to actually open his eyes, Tony listened to the sounds around him. The movie was still definitely on as he recognized DiCaprio's voice in the background. The next thing that registered was that he was lying on something very comfortable – or rather on someone. He tensed ever so slightly as he realized where that heartbeat came from. He was lying on Gibbs' chest for sure and the thing in his hair that had woken him from his slumber was actually the older man's hand that was softly combing through his hair.

He finally opened his eyes and lifted his head, so that he was able to look Gibbs into the eyes, but the other man's attention was still on the movie in front of them. Only when Tony turned to move away from him, did Gibbs avert his eyes from the small screen as he made no move to let go of him.

"Just go back to sleep," he mumbled as Tony was about to speak up.

"Gibbs?" Tony gaped at his boss, but he had his eyes already redirected to the screen again.

Flabbergasted, Tony stared at him for a long moment until he realized that if he actually wanted to move, he could probably do just that. But somehow he didn't want to. He let his head sink back on Gibbs' shoulder again and was pulled back into sleep almost instantly.

-x-

The next time that he was somewhat conscious was when he felt Gibbs move under him. Tony rolled over, so that he was lying with his back towards the other man now. He heard Gibbs close the lid of the laptop and internally debated whether or not to make sure the guy had actually shut it down, too, but then he realized that he didn't really care.

"So, do you think the spinning top fell or not?"

He heard Gibbs behind chuckle ever so slightly and was sure that he wouldn't get an answer anyway at the same time that he felt the other man lie down beside him again.

"Don't think so. The kids still look the same."

"Hmm," Tony replied, already almost asleep again. "Thought the same thing."

"Good," Gibbs replied and then settled down next to him, but not before – and Tony was almost sure that it had actually happened – pressing a soft kiss onto Tony's temple.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be neat. xD_


	6. Secured

_A/N: Thanks so much for your continuous reviews! You guys absolutely made my day again. Hope you like this one, too. :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Secured<strong>

That night's dreams for Tony were odd to say the least. First, McGee was trying to beat him at Tetris before he turned into the Autopsy Gremlin, who was trying to give him relationship tips. Tony flat out refused to hear any of them because just because Breena was putting up with Jimmy all the time didn't mean that Palmer was any good at relationships, it was as simple as that. But the longer he kept on babbling about it, the more did Tony's thoughts wander towards Gibbs and just like that, he was lying in bed again with the older man kissing him softly on the temple.

Tony awoke with a start and was slightly startled when he realized that it was already light outside. He furrowed a brow for a moment, trying to recollect the details from his dream and what had made him wake up. The soft kiss came flying into his mind again and he suddenly had no clue whether or not it had actually happened or if it was indeed only a figment of his imagination. Or had it been a dream, where he had thought that he was awake? And did that just mean that he shouldn't have watched _Inception_ the day before?

Tony ran a tired hand over his face as he realized that he was confusing himself. He tried to get a hold of his tumbling thoughts and came to the conclusion that there was an eighty percent likelihood that he hadn't dreamt that kiss after all. He was pretty sure that they had talked about the movie after Gibbs had shut down the laptop and that the kiss had occurred right afterwards. In addition to that, the older man was, after all, still sharing a bed with him, even though Tony hadn't needed the heat this time.

As if on cue, Gibbs, still sound asleep, turned and snuggled into him, his head resting on Tony's chest now. He stilled for a moment, trying to get his suddenly furiously beating heart under control as Gibbs brought one arm around his waist, pulling him even closer. Tony gulped audibly and had no idea what he was supposed to do now. He was sure that Gibbs had no clue what he was doing, he was still asleep after all. But Tony couldn't possibly just stay still and let him be like that. Or could he?

He had already raised his hand in order to softly shake Gibbs awake as Tony paused to look at the guy for a short moment. He was looking as peaceful as he had never seen him before. The fine lines on his face were barely visible which in return made him look utterly relaxed and years younger. Tony felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and immediately felt his heart pick up pace again as he guided his hand towards Gibbs' head and carefully began to run his fingers through the short cropped marine hairdo.

Hearing Gibbs sigh without waking up, Tony slightly grinned as he continued to caress the other man. Truth be told, Tony had no idea what he was doing. He probably shouldn't do this, this was his boss, hell, this was _Gibbs_, but somehow he couldn't help himself. After all, it had been the other man that had climbed into his bed again without the pretense of him being sick. Was that what it had been? A pretense to snuggle up on Tony? Subtly shaking his head, Tony quickly discarded that particular idea. He would not start seeing things that weren't even there.

And still, he remained lying there, stroking the other man's hair for quite some time until he, too, finally woke up. Tony felt him tense up under his touch right afterwards, but it was only for a short moment. He turned his head and gave him a smile and not one of the usual half-smiles, but a fully grown one as he mumbled.

"Morning."

"G… Good morning," Tony almost whispered in return, bewildered as to why Gibbs made no move get up and away from him.

They stayed like that for a few more moments until the older man sighed again and finally sat up. Grinning ever so slightly at him, Gibbs reached out his hand and briefly ruffled Tony's hair which in return made the younger man even more confused.

"Sleep well?" he then asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world to wake up in his Senior Field Agent's arms.

"Uh, yeah," Tony just chocked out, subtly shaking his head as he watched Gibbs get out of bed and stretch himself.

He curtly nodded at him before he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Tony sitting there, staring blankly at the door. He tried to organize his thoughts for a moment. So, he had probably not dreamt about that kiss last night, at least not judging from Gibbs' smile a few minutes before. He had barely ever seen him smile like that - once when he had driven home his dad's Challenger and the other few times that particular smile was always directed towards little children.

Tony knew that he should probably just stop worrying and go with the flow. It wasn't like Gibbs' mood would stay that cheerful for long. It never did. The boss would be back to the grumpy Gunny in no time and that weird thing that had just happened would be forgotten for sure. Tony let himself fall back onto the bed and ran a tired hand over his face. He had to forget about all of this before it would drive him crazy.

-x-

Tony had taken a hot shower sometime after lunch, basically just to have something other to do than obsess over everything that Gibbs had done. As he left the bathroom he saw the older man change into the sweater that he had lent Tony the other night and then put on his coat.

"Where you're going?" Tony asked, running his fingers through his hair that was still dripping wet.

"Bookstore around the corner."

"Okay," Tony just replied, leaning against the doorframe as he watched Gibbs wrap a scarf around his neck.

"Can I bring you something?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks."

"Okay, then," Gibbs answered and came to a stop right in front of Tony, raised his hand and then softly squeezed Tony's shoulder before he gave him another one of those rare smiles, making Tony's heart miss one or two beats.

With another nod, Gibbs was gone and left Tony there even more befuddled. He went back into the bathroom and rubbed his hair dry before he once again stared at his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed to crimson, his pupils dilated and his expression was for a lack of a better word shocked. He knew that he was being silly. All of this didn't mean anything for sure. Gibbs had only been worried about his health before and had probably just forgotten to switch off the Caring-Gibbs-Mode. That must be it and Tony would not freak out about it. He just had to survive the next day or days until they would finally be able to go back to the Navy Yard and to their usual ways.

-x-

But Tony's just mind wouldn't shut up about it over the next couple of hours. They had spent the afternoon in almost complete silence ever since Gibbs had come back from his shopping tour. Despite Tony's earlier statement, his boss had still brought him back a book and Tony found himself really enjoying _The Best American Sports Writing Of The Century_. And yet, his thoughts would constantly wander towards the other man and his eyes would follow close behind. The way he was sitting on his bed, his back against the headrest, his knees pulled up, balancing the book on them, held a sudden interest for Tony and he didn't even know why. The memory of this morning resurfaced again and he felt his stomach getting all queasy all of a sudden. It wasn't in the bad way either, Tony realized. He felt rather excited to finally get a grasp on what exactly was going on. He was sure that he was imagining half of the looks and gestures anyway and that there was nothing to worry about at all.

"Something on my nose, DiNozzo?" Gibbs cut through his inner monologue and Tony realized that he had still been staring at him all this time.

"N-No."

"Then, what's wrong?" he asked, put his book aside and turned to look at Tony, who felt his heart instantly pick up pace.

"Nothing," Tony shrugged, his pulse loudly rushing through his ears.

Gibbs remained silent, just continued to stare at him, his head tilted ever so slightly, his eyes never once leaving Tony's. Taking a deep breath as he realized that he would probably freak out if he didn't ask, Tony finally continued.

"Just… Gibbs, what are we doing?"

At last, the other man averted his eyes to stare at his hands instead for a moment before he looked up again.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Tony hurried to answer, fervently hoping that he hadn't imagined it after all. "All of this. Us sharing a bed and stuff."

"You were sick and the heat was out," came back Gibbs' calm answer and Tony felt his heart sink.

"And last night?" he asked only above a whisper as he wasn't sure if his voice was still actually working.

Gibbs remained silent and found interest in his hands again. Tony stared at him for a few moments before he realized that he really didn't know, either.

"What are we doing, Boss?" he asked nonetheless, suddenly really needing an answer.

"I don't know, Tony," Gibbs finally replied and sighed as he looked back into Tony's eyes. "I really don't know, but we can stop if that's what you want."

"No," Tony blurted out before he could stop himself.

He knew that he should freak out now, that he should just take it back and just say that he didn't want this, whatever _this_ was. But he realized that he felt oddly calm about it like something had just locked into the right place, the place where it should have been all this time. He still had no idea what was going on here and he wasn't even sure whether he wanted to know, but Gibbs had just admitted that there was _something_ there and Tony was suddenly strangely confident that they would be able to work it out. In the end.

"Okay, then," Gibbs gave him that smile again before he picked up his book and started reading again as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

Tony let out a laugh as he did the same, finding the spot where he had stopped reading, before he looked asquint at Gibbs and saw him smirk ever so slightly. Tony snorted again and then went back to his book.

-x-

It was already after 11 o'clock when Tony emerged from the bathroom, having just brushed his teeth. The room in front of him was already dark and he could see Gibbs lying in his own bed for once. Tony remained standing there rooted to the spot for a moment or two before he had made up his mind. He knew that Gibbs had deliberately given him the choice where to sleep tonight, he was sure about that. Slowly, Tony slipped out of his sweater and then squinted around in the dark and was equally satisfied and terrified when he saw the jeans that Gibbs had worn that day lie on the chair next to his bed. Taking off his pants and throwing them onto his own bed, Tony slowly and carefully made his way towards Gibbs and was relieved when he saw him skid sideways, so that he had room to slip under the covers next to him.

"So," Tony said only above a whisper then, when he realized that he had no idea what to do now.

"So," Gibbs just echoed, turning towards him.

Their faces were mere inches apart now and Tony was able to feel the guy's breath on his cheeks as he stared into those icy blue eyes. And then, suddenly, Gibbs closed that small gap between them and softly brushed his lips against Tony's. His pulse started to rush loudly through his ears again as Tony leaned in to kiss him back. It was nothing more than a chaste brush of surprisingly soft lips and yet when Tony finally pulled away, he couldn't help the broad smile that spread on his face. They stared at each other for a moment before Gibbs cleared his throat and effectively broke their eye contact.

"Okay?" he asked then, turning ever so slightly, so that he was lying on his back now.

Tony moved closer and tentatively laid his head on Gibbs' chest and was relieved when the other man almost instantly pulled an arm around him.

"Yeah, very okay."

"Good," Gibbs just replied and placed a kiss on Tony's hair before he continued. "Night."

"Good night," Tony answered and closed his eyes, letting the steady heartbeat under him lull him into sleep.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thoughts? Complaints? Reviews? xD_


	7. Stolen

_A/N: I'm still blown away by all those reviews for the last chapter... hadn't expected that many. But I ain't complaining. xD Thanks a lot, you guys are awesome indeed! :)_

_Hope, this one meets your expectations, too xD_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Stolen<strong>

Tony was feeling cold when he woke up the next day. Not as cold as the previous days, when he had suffered from the flu, but he wasn't feeling quite comfortable and something was strangely off. He lay still for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly it was that had him feeling like that. He then turned around and only now did he realize that had no blanket covering him anymore. Subtly shaking his head, he eyed the still sleeping form next to him, looking for the best way to steal back the cover. He finally settled on what had worked so many times before with different women. He moved closer ever so slightly and then pinched him on the side. Gibbs flinched violently, causing Tony to grin broadly when the older man turned around, so that he was able to look at Tony, his eyes wide.

"What the hell, DiNozzo?"

Tony laughed and then reached for the blanket to cover himself again before he stared back at Gibbs.

"Not my fault that you're hogging the blanket, Boss," he grinned. "Had to get it back somehow, didn't I?"

Gibbs continued to glare at him and for a short moment Tony feared that he had gone too far, but then the other man just snorted and turned fully towards him, laying his head on Tony's shoulder.

"What time is it?"

Tony picked up his cell phone and quickly squinted at it before he brought his hand to Gibbs' head and began to softly comb through his hair.

"Almost nine o'clock. Never took you for one to sleep in like that, Boss."

"Huh," he just answered, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "I usually don't. And Tony, don't call me Boss."

"You're the one that called me DiNozzo before."

"I was still asleep and you gave me a heart-attack. That doesn't count."

"'Course it doesn't," Tony chuckled before he continued as if adding an afterthought. "Jethro? Wow, that sounds weird."

"You tell my dad," Gibbs grumbled good-naturedly and softly poked Tony on the chest.

"I'll pass," Tony laughed and resumed running his fingers through the other man's hair.

They stayed like that for what seemed like a very long time, but Tony, even if he was a restless person usually, didn't mind at all. He continued being confused because he had still no idea what exactly they were doing here, but he knew one thing for certain: this wasn't half bad and he guessed that he could even get used to 'Jethro' in the end.

-x-

They had eventually gotten up after all, each taking their turns in the bathroom and then had gone down to eat lunch and Tony was very glad that he had finally had his appetite back. He had helped himself to seconds and had just shrugged and grinned at Gibbs when he had eyed him rather suspiciously. He knew that the other man had probably just wanted to make sure that he really was feeling okay, but he had reassured him that he was doing fine. Granted, he had still the sniffles, but despite that he was feeling as good as new and he was quite sure that without Gibbs' help he wouldn't quite be there, yet.

Another thing that Tony noticed about the other man the next couple of hours was that he didn't hover, didn't force anything. They had resumed their routine from the days before anything had even happened, with Gibbs reading his book and Tony playing either solitaire or Tetris on his laptop. They exchanged a few words here and there, looked at each more often than before, but there was not one single awkward moment in between and Tony secretly marveled at how naturally all of that seemed to come to them.

-x-

A loud ringing noise came from the speakers of his laptop around 4 o'clock and after the first shock, Tony realized that it was just someone calling him on Skype. He answered and grinned broadly as Abby's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey Abs," he greeted the Goth who was sporting a rather curious expression.

"You look perfectly fine, Tony," she replied without saying hello, her voice stern, almost accusing.

"I- I am?" Tony answered, not quite sure why Abby was looking at him like that.

"And why didn't anyone bother to tell me that? My latest state of your health was that you were running a fever. Are you still?"

"No," Tony said vehemently, casting a side glance at Gibbs who was watching him with interest. "I'm back on my feet, Abs. Really. I'd have called you, but I didn't know that you knew that I was sick."

Abby stared at him for a moment and Tony didn't quite know whether she believed what he had just told her. As if she had been reading his mind, she nodded curtly before continuing.

"Is the bossman there?"

Tony turned to look at Gibbs who had gotten up from his own bed and was now sitting down next to him. His shoulder bumped against Tony's and the younger man realized that he was sitting much closer than strictly necessary, causing him to grin at the thought.

"Hey Abs," he then greeted her gruffly, but Tony didn't miss the slightly sheepish smile playing on his lips.

"Why didn't you tell me he was alright?"

"Forgot?" Gibbs tried to soothe her. "Promise, I'd have told you if he was feeling any worse."

"Don't do that, Gibbs," Abby replied, though she seemed less angry than before. "You know how much I worry about you guys and especially about Tony. His lungs aren't the best, Gibbs, you know that."

"He's fine, Abs, I promise."

"Okay, then," Abby replied as he scrutinized Tony through the screen.

"What!" Tony exclaimed. "You don't believe me when I tell you I'm fine, but one word from Gibbs and you're like 'okay'?"

Gibbs elbowed him slightly in the ribs as Abby smiled broadly at him.

"Of course, Tony, he's _Gibbs_. When he says something's fine, it is. Law of nature."

"Yeah, right," came back Tony's sarcastic comment which earned him a soft slap upside his head.

"You had a reason to call, Abby?" Gibbs then probed and Tony suddenly, and not without shame, remembered the case they had been working on before the snow storm had hit.

"I wanted to see you guys," Abby replied smiling broadly at him and Tony realized that he had actually missed her over those last couple of days. "But yes, I think we've solved the case. Or actually, McGee did. Turns out the psychiatrist, that Lt. Carrey had been seeing is not actually a psychiatrist and that he has systematically blackmailed her for over four months now."

"You have him in custody yet?"

"No, not yet, Boss," Abby replied and hastily added when she apparently saw Gibbs opening his mouth. "McGee and Ziva are on it, though, but as you well know, the roads are not the best and they can't get there right now. But on the plus side, neither can he flee, right? Besides, weather report says that the snow is supposed to stop falling tonight."

"It is?" Tony asked, feeling his heart suddenly miss a beat.

"Yup," Abby answered, still smiling broadly at them. "You guys will be free soon."

"Great," Tony tried to give her a genuine smile, but wasn't entirely sure it was actually working.

"Good work, Abs," Gibbs said now. "McGee and Ziva, too. Bring the quack in as soon as you're able to, but don't take any risks, you got that?"

"Aye, aye, boss," Abby saluted with her left hand, then waved goodbye to Tony, who returned the gesture, and hung up.

Tony closed the lid of his laptop before he turned to look at Gibbs, who hadn't moved away a single inch. He grinned at him ever so slightly as the older man laid a hand on his left thigh.

"You forgot to tell her I was alright again?" he then asked, raising an eyebrow.

This wasn't like Gibbs that something like that would just slip his mind, after all. Gibbs just shrugged as he averted his glance to stare at his hand on Tony's thigh instead.

"Had other stuff on my mind apparently."

"Did you, now?" Tony asked and let his shoulder bump against Gibbs' again.

Truth was Tony was astounded that Gibbs had forgotten. He knew, after all, just how important Abby was to him and to leave her out of the loop like that seemed oddly uncharacteristic for him. But maybe, he actually had had too much on his mind those last couple of days and Tony couldn't blame him. He just hadn't thought that Gibbs had that much to process, too, because he had seemed to be so sure of himself, especially the day before that Tony had started to suspect that the bossman hadn't been obsessing about what exactly they were doing here to the same degree than he had. But maybe Tony had been wrong in assuming so. Not that he was ever assuming, of course.

"You glad we won't be stuck here for much longer?" Gibbs interrupted his train of thought and started trailing patterns with his thumb on the fabric of Tony's jeans.

Tony looked up and locked eyes with him as he shrugged.

"Not particularly."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and shifted ever so slightly so that he was facing Tony even more now. "You complained about it just yesterday."

"I know that, Bo… I mean Jethro," Tony grinned sheepishly. "But that was before, you know. This," he gestured around rather aimlessly. "Us."

Gibbs tilted his head ever so slightly and gave him an unexpected smile before he surprisingly softly answered.

"Doesn't mean anything has to change, Tony. Not if you don't want it to."

Tony felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, but shook his head nonetheless.

"But when we're back in DC, it's back to reality, right?"

"Yup," Gibbs answered and Tony felt his heart drop. "But this," now it was Gibbs' turn to gesture around aimlessly, "is real, too. At least, I hope it is."

Tony took a deep breath as he realized that he had never hoped for something more than for this right now. But why was that anyway? He still didn't know what exactly was going on between the two of them, but he did know that he desperately wanted to find out.

"It is," he finally replied and saw Gibbs instantly relax next to him.

"Good," the older man answered and Tony felt the pressure on his thigh increase ever so slightly as he, almost unconsciously, leaned closer towards him until their noses were nearly touching.

Tony smiled at him for a quick moment and just saw the corners of Gibbs' mouth twitch before he closed the gap between them and brushed his lips against the other man's. Feeling the soft and warm lips against his own, Tony's hand came around the other man's neck to draw him even closer. He felt Gibbs's tongue shortly and almost tentatively trace his lips, begging for entrance and Tony let him, sliding his lips apart ever so slightly as their tongues met up with each other. They battled for dominance rather tenderly, no one ever winning anyway. Tony didn't quite know how long they sat there, kissing each other, and he didn't care either. When Gibbs finally backed away, his cheeks were slightly flushed and his blue eyes were brighter than usual.

"Seems pretty real to me," Gibbs spoke after a while, his voice strangely strangled.

"Yeah," Tony grinned at him. "_Real_-ly good, too."

"Uh-huh," Gibbs just replied and gave him that smile again, which made Tony's heart still miss a beat somehow.

"And you're sure that once back in DC we'll still be… this?" Tony asked then, still strangely unconvinced.

"Not saying that it won't be weird because I can't guarantee anything, you know that. But I want to try to figure out whatever this is, okay?"

Tony nodded slowly, slightly taken aback that he was actually given a choice. He knew that he was being ridiculous, of course, Gibbs wouldn't do anything that Tony didn't want to do, but yet it seemed oddly unfamiliar to be asked for his opinion. But maybe he had to get used to that. He wanted to get used to that, actually. It was a nice change and Tony was determined to find out how the older man was outside of work, what kind of man he was when it came to relationships. That was if they would even make it so far, but Tony would try, he'd really try this time because this was simply too important not to.

"I want that, too," he finally replied and smiled at the other man, who returned the gesture before his eyes flickered from Tony's eyes to his lips and before he could do as much as blink once, stole a kiss again.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be awesome! :)_


	8. Cold

_A/N: I know I'm repeating myself, but thank you so much for your reviews! :) Makes writing this even more worthwhile! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Cold<strong>

Tony had no idea how he had ever gotten to sleep that night. Even now, in the morning he felt his heart beat much faster than usual, his pulse was still rushing loudly through his ears. It wasn't like Gibbs and he had done anything other than kiss from time to time and snuggled up to each other when they had gone to bed, but still the excitement seemed to have rushed through his veins, even when Gibbs' breathing had long even out. He wasn't quite sure whether he was having a panic attack or if he was simply over-thinking stuff again. Maybe he should just go with the flow, see what Gibbs and life in general had in store for him. He knew that it was probably not that easy, knew that he had to get a grip on himself soon or otherwise Gibbs would see right through him, would see what a horrible mistake all of this had been before anything could have even happened. Because nothing really had happened as of now, had it?

A few kisses meant nothing. Except that they meant the world to him at that very moment, when he was spooning up against the other man in the early hours of the morning, one arm under his own head, the other one slung around Gibbs' waist. He didn't want to lose that, whatever it was exactly.

He snuggled closer to him now, breathing in his scent and briefly wondered how he managed to have that faint smell of wood still on him, even after a week without working on a new boat or whatever it was he was doing lately. Tony rearranged himself to be more comfortable and unintentionally rubbed against Gibbs' butt in the course. He held still for a moment, hoping that he hadn't woken up the other man and even more so that his body wouldn't react to it, either. However, he felt Gibbs move under his arm, making the situation in Tony's boxers not exactly easier. He knew that the older man must have felt the same thing he did and Tony was about to turn away from him to bring as much space between them as the bed allowed, when Gibbs got a hold of his arm, keeping him firmly in place.

"Sorry," Tony mumbled for a lack of anything else to say.

How was he supposed to explain that hard-on anyway?

"What for?" Gibbs' sleepy reply was so quiet that Tony unconsciously moved a bit closer to him again to understand.

"You know. This," Tony answered, knowing that Gibbs had to know what exactly he was talking about by now.

"Why?" Gibbs asked and Tony was able to hear the slight confusion in his voice as he turned to lie on his back, so that he was able to look at Tony who had mirrored his action, staring at the ceiling now, trying to calm himself down.

"Why?" he finally replied incredulously. "I'm not ready for this and why aren't you freaked out only a little bit?"

He heard Gibbs move next to him and finally turned to look at him now. He had propped himself up on his arm and looked right back at him, his expression calm, his eyes never leaving Tony's as he started to speak.

"Relax, Tony. Nothing's happened and we're both not ready for this. Doesn't mean that we can control everything."

"You can," Tony gave back, trying to avoid the eye contact, but saw himself unable to look away as Gibbs all but glared at him.

"Maybe now, doesn't mean it'll stay like that."

Tony stared at him for a moment, trying to find something in his expression that told him he was lying, but came up with nothing. He took a deep breath and reminded himself of his own thoughts from before. He'd just go with the flow because that was what Gibbs wanted and what he did, too.

"I'm still freaked out," he quietly admitted causing Gibbs to give him a small smile before he leaned closer and placed a quick kiss on Tony's cheek before he lay down on the bed again.

"So am I, so am I."

-x-

They had checked the weather reports the next morning, had made a few calls to Abby and McGee, making sure that everything was okay before they were finally able to check out of the Bed & Breakfast. Tony wasn't entirely sure whether or not he liked to go home now. It was nice to be outside of that small room, that was for sure, but he didn't know if he was ready to face the real world just yet.

The two-hour-drive towards DC was mostly spent in silence, though it was a rather comfortable one. At some point, Gibbs' hand had found its way to Tony's thigh and he had placed his own upon the older man's hand, squeezing it slightly. It felt oddly natural, normal even and it gave Tony the smallest hope that it wouldn't be all that weird when they were back at the Navy Yard.

-x-

"And that, ladies and gents," Tony claimed a couple of hours later in the bullpen, "is the reason that I'll never set a foot into a psychiatrist's office. Ever."

The last couple of hours had been hectic, with bringing in the fake doctor, getting caught up on the case by McGee, Ziva and Abby and then finally watching Gibbs break their suspect in an hour-long-marathon of interrogating him. Tony had marveled at Gibbs' patience with the guy as he had been standing in the observation room, looking at them. Maybe it was because his boss hadn't been able to do anything those last couple of days that made him more patient because he actually enjoyed interrogating the bastard that had killed Lt. Carrey out of pure greed for money.

They had spent the last hours of the afternoon wrapping up the case and Tony wasn't quite sure why he was so strangely beat at the moment, maybe it was because Gibbs had barely looked at him all day, but Tony had also known that that was going to happen. This was work after all and they could hardly hold hands here. Or maybe it was only because he was still wearing the jeans he had worn all week and he simply needed to get home, shower, change into a new set of clothes and everything would be alright again.

"Are you sure you don't need a psychiatrist after a week alone with Gibbs?" McGee asked after he had carefully looked around as if to make sure that the bossman was nowhere within earshot.

Tony paused for a moment before he resumed picking up his backpack and turned to look at McGee who was grinning at him ever so slightly.

"Wasn't all that bad actually," he finally answered, making sure that the smile, that threatened to split his face in two, wasn't showing.

Ziva stepped around her desk now, scrutinizing him from head to toe, her brow furrowed.

"Are you sure you are feeling alright, Tony?" she asked with a hint of a smile on her lips and for a split of a moment, Tony wondered whether she had looked right through him, but discarded that particular idea pretty quickly.

"That reminds me, I have to go down to Autopsy," he finally spoke up again, not answering Ziva's question as he remembered the promise he had given Gibbs that morning. "To make sure that everything's alright."

And with that, he marched off towards the elevators, grinning ever so slightly as he watched McGee and Ziva looking at each other out of the corners of his eyes.

-x-

"You seem to be in perfect health, my dear boy," Ducky said after a few minutes of close examination of Tony's body. "I would advise you to take it easy for just a couple of days, however. With your medical history, the flu is not to be taken lightly."

"I know that, Ducky," Tony answered, buttoning his shirt. "But I feel perfectly fine. Wasn't all that bad. Really."

"That's not what Jethro told me the other day," Ducky said, his voice stern.

"He was exaggerating," Tony dismissed it with a wave of his hand, knowing very well that Ducky wouldn't buy it.

"Yeah, because that's what I do," Gibbs' voice traveled into Autopsy and Tony flinched ever so slightly which in return made Ducky chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry, Boss," Tony grinned and hopped off the table, almost tripping over his own feet.

"He alright, Duck?" Gibbs inquired, paying no attention to Tony whatsoever as he eyed the ME suspiciously.

"He's in perfect health, Jethro. You seem to have taken excellent care of him last week."

Gibbs just nodded curtly at Ducky and turned around, leaving them standing there without another word. Tony gaped after him for a moment before he subtly shook his head, realizing that it was indeed back to normal. He exchanged a few more words with Ducky before he called it a night and for the first time in a week drove home to his apartment, feeling his heart grow heavier with every minute he was further away from the Navy Yard.

-x-

Two hours later he tossed about in his bed, trying to lull himself into sleep, but his mind just wouldn't let him. It was weird, lying there for the first time in a week without someone breathing evenly next to him, without someone to snuggle up against, without that body warming him up. He actually felt cold again, his bed was cold and he couldn't believe that he had actually fallen for Gibbs' words back at the motel. He should have known, of course, that things would not go as they had back there, but a simple word, a simple gesture, a simple look would have been enough for Tony to feel reassured. But there had been nothing all day and that conversation late last night seemed to be so very far away already that he wasn't even sure that it had actually happened. Another turn and he sighed again, trying to get comfortable and to ignore the stinging in his eyes that wasn't even there in the first place.

He wasn't quite sure how long he had been lying there, desperately trying to fall asleep, when he heard noises coming from his living room. Reaching for his gun, trying to remember whether or not he had actually locked his front door, he climbed out of bed, his pulse throbbing in his temples. He was torn between staying where he was and just running out of his bedroom to shoot whoever had dared to invade his privacy.

He opened the door quietly and then froze as he recognized the person that was just about to close the front door again. Tony let out a sigh and lowered his hand, leaning heavily against the doorframe.

"What are you doing here, Boss?" Tony asked then and was mildly satisfied when he saw Gibbs jump ever so slightly at the sound of his voice.

He slowly turned around and looked at him with a rather pained expression on his face.

"Didn't mean to wake you up."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have broken into my apartment, Boss," Tony replied, his heart still beating a mile a minute as he watched Gibbs get rid of his coat and then slowly walk towards him.

"I knocked," Gibbs shrugged and came to a stop inches away from Tony. "But you didn't open up."

"Huh," Tony just breathed out, still not quite sure what Gibbs was doing here in the middle of the night. "Why are you here?" he finally continued when the older man made no move to say anything.

He saw him shrug again, his blue eyes never once leaving Tony's as he answered. "Couch wasn't comfortable."

Tony felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth, but worked hard not to let it show as he remembered his gloomy thoughts from only minutes before.

"And you thought, let's just go DiNozzo's, though I haven't talked to him all day."

Gibbs literally took a step back now, his forehead creased as he tilted his head.

"What's wrong, Tony?"

Tony stared at him for a moment, slightly taken aback by the softness and obvious surprise in Gibbs' voice. Had he misjudged the situation after all?

"Nothing," Tony sighed, rubbing his left hand over his face. "You were just so… distant today at work."

He warily watched Gibbs shake his head ever so slightly, but his eyes remained locked on Tony's.

"That's work, Tony."

"I know that, Boss, but you know, looking at me once in a while would have been nice."

"Sorry," Gibbs answered and Tony's heart missed a beat when he saw something similar to sadness cross the older man's features for a moment. "Didn't mean to. Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't know," Tony shrugged helplessly. "I thought you changed your mind. I don't know. I mean, you didn't talk to me or anything. If you wanted to come over tonight, you could have just asked me."

Gibbs remained standing there for a moment or two, his shoulders hunched forward before he approached Tony again and raised one hand to cup his face.

"I haven't changed my mind and I won't. I didn't mean to make you believe that. And I didn't ask to come over because I thought you wanted to time to think things through."

Tony released a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding and nodded mutely, not trusting his voice.

"Okay?" Gibbs continued after a moment of poignant silence.

Tony stared into his eyes for a moment and then nodded, realizing that he had probably overreacted. Gibbs' expression was open at the moment, his sincerity all but written all over it and Tony was ashamed that he had questioned his intentions.

"Okay," Tony whispered now and Gibbs gave him that fully grown smile again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just talk to me next time I'm being stupid."

"Okay," Tony repeated, letting out a laugh. "Will do, Boss."

"Jethro," Gibbs insisted before he placed a soft kiss on Tony's cheek and he felt himself blush furiously all of a sudden.

"Okay, Jethro," Tony replied, finally letting the smile appear on his face as he felt his pulse even out again. "You came here to sleep, right?"

"Right," Gibbs snorted in reply, but made no move towards Tony's bedroom, instead pulled him into a one-armed hug. "I'm sorry," he then whispered so softly into his ear that Tony shivered ever so slightly.

"It's okay," Tony just replied. "Next time I'll just speak up. It's just so new that I freaked out."

"Hmm," Gibbs replied and then finally let go of him as he stepped into Tony's bedroom and eyed the bed. "Never took you for one to own a queen-sized bed."

Tony snorted before he plopped down on said bed. "Strategy, Jethro. Makes it easier to insist on cuddling if there's not that much room to sleep."

"Does it work?" Gibbs smirked as he got rid of the pullover he was wearing.

"I guess we'll see," Tony just grinned as he slipped under his covers, waiting for the other man to join him there.

He snuggled closer, once he was settled and suddenly the bed was not that cold, he wasn't feeling that alone anymore and the panic that had possessed him almost all day had vanished completely for the time being.

"Night, Tony," Gibbs cut through his thoughts as he kissed him almost tenderly.

"Night," he smiled back at him and closed his eyes, realizing just how tired he actually was.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thoughts? Complaints? Suggestions? Reviews would be awesome xD_


	9. Unscrewed

_A/N: Thanks again for your reviews! I meant to reply to each of you individually, but I've been in quite a hurry those last couple of days, so I haven't been able to. But awesome reviews were awesome. Thank you!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Unscrewed<strong>

Gentle featherlike touches on his hip brought him out of his peaceful haze of sleep the next morning. Not opening his eyes, he felt fingertips softly trail unknown patterns on his hipbone where his t-shirt had ridden up. He sighed contently, unwilling to wake up fully just yet. He felt Gibbs' fingers abandon the action for a moment as his hand moved across his stomach, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Gibbs tucked him closer now, his hand never once leaving Tony's skin. Sighing again, Tony almost unconsciously moved even closer towards the other man's warmth and then suddenly realized that there was something hard pressing against him now, which in return caused Tony to become all tingly inside as he felt the heat spread in his own stomach, moving further south with every second he was pressed up against the older man.

He heard Gibbs behind him chuckle ever so slightly and grinned, knowing that the guy couldn't even see him, but he couldn't care less. Gibbs had resumed trailing patterns on his skin, careful to keep his touches above Tony's bellybutton as he pressed soft kisses on Tony's neck.

"What are you doing?" Tony finally mumbled, not any longer able to pretend to be still asleep.

"Trying not to wake up," came Gibbs' reluctant answer as if talking would make it final that there was no way going back to sleep now.

"Oh," Tony chuckled ever so slightly, snuggling closer. "You're up."

Gibbs let out a laugh and softly pinched his hip as he answered. "So are you."

"And that's entirely your fault," Tony laughed as he turned around to look at the other man.

Gibbs' bright blue eyes stared right back at him, the smile not yet vanished from his lips. Tony gave him a grin before he closed the small gap between them and kissed him tenderly. They stayed like that for a few more minutes until Tony's cell phone chirped to life, telling them that they had to get up and go to work.

"And back to reality," Tony mumbled and sighed as he got out of bed, catching Gibbs shaking his head out of the corners of his eyes. "What?" he inquired slightly confused.

"Nothing," Gibbs replied, still smiling. "You got any plans for tonight?"

"No."

"Wanna go out to dinner with me?"

"You mean that?" Tony answered, beaming. "Your place? Cowboy-style steaks?"

"No," Gibbs shook his head as he also got up, coming to a stop inches away from Tony's face. "I meant going out. Restaurant, all that fuss."

"You're serious," Tony exclaimed, placing a quick kiss on Gibbs' cheek. "Can I choose where we're going, then?"

"Sure," he just shrugged and then disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the younger man standing there, grinning after him like an idiot.

-x-

"Tony, wait a sec," Abby said, getting a hold on his left wrist as he was just about to leave her lab to report back to the team that there was nothing new to be found on one of the cold cases they had been working on all day.

"What's up?" he asked, giving her a broad smile.

The day had been good so far, Gibbs wasn't entirely ignoring him today, instead had sent a few glances towards his direction through the day and that was really all what Tony had needed. He was mildly satisfied that there had been no new case as of now, so that there was a chance they would actually make it to go to dinner. Tony felt still strangely tingly inside at the thought that Gibbs really wanted to take him out to eat dinner like on a real date. He knew that it should feel weird, but yet again it felt oddly normal.

"Would you like to go out with Ziva and me tonight?" Abby interrupted his train of thought. "We need a watchdog to keep away the bad guys."

"Sure, 'cause you two can't handle yourselves," Tony replied chuckling.

"So, you're coming?"

"Nah, sorry, can't. I already have plans tonight."

"Oooh, do tell," Abby insisted, "must be a really hot date if you're smiling like that."

"No," Tony hurried to reply, but had apparently answered too quickly, judging from the big grin that was building on Abby's face.

"Oh, you're so going on a date."

"Maybe," Tony gave in, holding up his hands in surrender. "But that's all you're getting out of me."

"Fair enough," Abby winked at him. "But I want a full report in my lab tomorrow."

"We'll see," Tony replied laughing before he waved at her and then finally disappeared into the safe haven that was the elevator before he would have the chance to slip up.

-x-

"What is this place?" Gibbs asked as they got out the car later that night.

Tony had refused to tell him where they were going as he had wanted to surprise him. They were now standing in front of a rather small Italian restaurant a few blocks away from the apartment where Tony had been living when he had first moved to DC.

"That's _Rosalie's_," he finally answered when he was already holding the door open to let Gibbs enter before him.

Tony had been slightly surprised when Gibbs had picked him up earlier as he had actually dressed up somewhat. He was wearing black jeans and a white button-down shirt and it looked oddly good on him. Tony eyed his back now as he closed the door behind him and didn't find anything he didn't like there, either.

"Antonio," he was risen from his inner musings as an elderly woman walked up towards him, engaging him in a hug that would have made Abby very proud. "It's been too long."

"Ciao Rosalie," Tony replied, trying to catch his breath. "Good to see you, too."

"What have you been up to? I haven't seen you in here in forever. You have to tell that boss of yours that you need a bit of free-time."

"Well," Tony answered slowly, turning towards Gibbs. "Why don't you tell him yourself? Rosalie, this is Jethro Gibbs, my boss. Jethro, this Rosalie, she owns this restaurant."

Gibbs smirked at him for a moment before he shook the old lady's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You look out for him, right?" Rosalie asked now, all but glaring at Gibbs and Tony winced ever so slightly.

"Don't worry, I do."

"I'll hold you to that," Rosalie threatened playfully as he gave Gibbs a broad smile, which he surprisingly replied with an even broader one.

They sat down at a table for two and looked into the menu for a few moments before Tony felt Gibbs' eyes on him, so he met his glance with a slight smile on his lips.

"What?"

"She knows you," Gibbs stated, smirking ever so slightly.

"I used to come here a lot when I first moved here," Tony shrugged. "My cooking skills weren't all that great back then and her lasagna is a delight."

"That all there is?" the older man asked now, tilting his head ever so slightly as he looked closer at him and Tony felt his cheeks flush all of a sudden.

"Well, she liked me from the start. She always said I reminded her of her son and she, you know, helped me to get settled here."

"How come you never told me anything about her?"

"I don't know," Tony shrugged. "It's like my own little private corner of the world, you know, away from everything. I've never brought anyone here."

They remained silent for a few moments after that, looking deep into each other's eyes and Tony felt his heart pick up pace as Jethro gave him an oddly lopsided smile and brushed his knee against his thigh. Tony wasn't quite sure how long they had been sitting there like that, simply staring at each other, not needing a single a word to understand each other, when someone cleared her throat loudly next to them, effectively breaking their eye contact.

"What can I get you two?" Rosalie smiled at Gibbs and Tony felt himself blush again.

"Uh, I'll have the lasagna," Gibbs answered, without looking at the menu. "I hear it's a delight," he added with a smirk.

Rosalie let out a laugh as he turned towards Tony and before he had even opened his mouth to place his order, she had already scribbled something down on her notepad.

"And one for you, too, I know. It's not like you've ever eaten anything else."

-x-

"Well, this was nice," Tony stated when they were on their way back towards Gibbs' car.

"Yup," Gibbs just replied. "You want to go to your place or mine?"

Tony smirked ever so slightly at the other man's confidence that they would share a bed tonight, but was secretly pleased that it seemed oddly natural to assume that.

"Yours," Tony finally answered. "I bet you already miss working on your boat, right?"

"I don't have to work on the boat."

"Yeah, you do," he just said, smirking again as he got into the car. "And I don't mind. I like watching you work."

"Okay then."

-x-

Tony stared at the glass of bourbon in his hands for a moment, letting the day pass in front of his inner eye. The dinner had been nice, their conversation had never been forced and there had never been a moment of awkward silence. Even now, as Gibbs was sanding the wood of the boat, the silence that was prevailing was far from uncomfortable. They were used to this after all as Tony had always been a frequent visitor in the older man's basement. Nothing seemed to have changed and yet everything was different somehow. Never before had Tony followed the other guy's movements that thoroughly, never before had he noticed how the muscles under Gibbs' shirt were jumping whenever he was moving his arms up and down the wood. He openly stared at his boss now, not worrying that he might get caught. Gibbs' spider-senses were apparently still intact, though, as he glanced up a few moments later, giving him one of those trademark half-smiles of his.

"What's up?"

"Nothing really," Tony shrugged as Gibbs leaned back against the boat, wiping a hand over his forehead.

"And un-really?"

Tony let out a laugh, but sobered up quickly when the older man came to sit down next to him on the stairs.

"It's just… what is this, what we're doing?"

Gibbs remained silent as he took the glass of bourbon from Tony and took a sip before he bumped his shoulder against the younger man's.

"I don't know," he finally answered and shrugged, locking eyes with Tony, who felt his heart speed up again. "Do we need to define it?"

"Guess not," Tony mumbled, averting his glance to stare at his shoes instead.

He wasn't even sure why he wanted to know all of a sudden. Things had gone far better than expected so far and he had no clue why he was freaking out again. Maybe all of this didn't come as naturally to him as he had thought it did. He saw Gibbs move next to him and then felt his index finger under his chin, urging him to look up again. Tony reluctantly let him and was surprised when he realized that those icy blue eyes suddenly seemed to be a bit brighter than usual even in the dim light of the basement.

"Hey," Gibbs continued talking, his voice soft. "Just because we both have no idea what exactly we're doing here, doesn't mean we can't do it, you got that?"

"Hmm," Tony slowly replied, suddenly unable to look away from those eyes that were still boring into his own. "But this is real, right? Between us?"

"Yeah, Tony, it is. I'm not screwing you over or anything. I'm serious about this, whatever it is."

"Okay," Tony replied, feeling a smile tug at the corners of his mouth again. "Just for the record, I really do like whatever we've been doing."

Gibbs let out a laugh and leaned closer to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before he answered. "Then stop analyzing it. Just go with the flow. Worked pretty well so far, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. But can you promise me something?"

"I'll try."

"This will not screw up anything between us if we can't make it work, right? I mean if this won't work out, we'll still be friends?"

"Yeah," Gibbs nodded without hesitation and Tony had the certain feeling in his stomach that he really meant it, too.

"Okay, good," Tony continued, suddenly feeling a lot better again, the strange thoughts slowly fading from his mind. "In the meantime, while we haven't screwed up anything yet, can I kiss you?"

Gibbs let out a snort that sounded suspiciously like a laugh as he leaned closer ever so slightly.

"We won't screw this up and yeah, you can."

"Awesome," Tony replied grinning and then brushed his lips against Gibbs'.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thoughts? Let me know what you think, please!_


	10. Promised

_A/N: And once again, thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Can't say how much I appreciate your feedback!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Promised<strong>

Early the next morning, Tony had the sudden distinct feeling that if he moved, he would fall off the couch. He opened his eyes, slightly startled that he was staring directly into Gibbs' face. He usually hated sleeping like that, the other's breath on his face, but he had apparently turned around sometime in the night. They were still cuddled up, though, and the older man's arm was tightly wrapped around him and that was probably the reason why Tony hadn't fallen off the couch after all. They had been watching some ancient western movie in lack of any other options late last night and Tony couldn't quite remember whether or not he had seen the end of it. He had been too busy savoring in the other man's tender embrace to pay close attention to what was happening on the screen in front of them.

He now tried to get more comfortable, but as soon as he had moved as much as an inch, Gibbs stirred, too, opening his eyes. Blearily, he looked at him before a small smile appeared on his face as he leaned closer and gave him a chaste kiss. Tony hummed in response and then reluctantly got up, only now realizing that his back was hurting a lot. He groaned as he stretched himself, earning himself a confused look from Gibbs.

"What's wrong?"

"Back hurts like hell. Sleeping on the couch wasn't probably the best idea we've ever had."

Shrugging, Gibbs sat up and rubbed a hand over his face. "I always sleep here."

"I know," Tony replied, carefully sitting down on the coffee table, so that he was on the same level than the older man. "But if you want me to stay the night from time to time, we have to think about another option. Or you're paying for my chiropractor. Your choice."

Gibbs let out a laugh and gently cuffed the back of Tony's head before he became serious again, running a tired hand through his hair. He looked at him again, his glance not quite fixed on him, but on something in the distance as he finally answered.

"Didn't think, I would ever have to use the bed again."

"Why aren't you using it?" Tony asked carefully, his voice quiet as he wasn't entirely sure whether he was even allowed to ask that particular question.

"It's always weird sleeping there," Gibbs shrugged again and finally looked him in the eye again. "Too much space for one person."

Tony gave him a small smile as he leaned a bit closer, placing a hand on the older man's knee. He looked at him for a moment longer, trying to decide whether he really wanted to approach that particular topic. But he knew that he would have to at some point and maybe it was even the right thing to do at the beginning of their relationship. Was that was it was, a relationship? Tony subtly shook his head, trying not to think about that for the time being as it would only make him even more nervous about everything.

"Would you mind sleeping there again?"

Gibbs stiffened visibly for a moment before he almost forcefully relaxed again and looked into Tony's face again. Still remaining silent, he tilted his head as if he could watch him closer that way and sighed before he finally answered.

"I always thought that this was it, you know. No more sharing a bed with anyone here. I simply didn't want to anymore. After…," he trailed off now, averting his glance from Tony, who felt his heart sink.

"After Shannon," he continued for him, his voice quiet again, knowing that the other man wasn't exactly keen on talking about her.

"Yeah, it never felt quite right, you know. I mean the other wives were there of course, but it was never what I once had."

"Okay," Tony answered slowly, slightly freaked out about the route that conversation had taken. "Don't worry, I'll be fine with the couch, too," he finally continued, trying to give him his most sincere smile. "But we'll have to talk about that chiropractor, then."

Gibbs snorted, but shook his head, once again rubbing his hand over his face before he took Tony's hand that had still been lying on his knee in his own.

"I didn't mean it like that. Just wanted to let you know that it would be a big step for me, okay?"

"I get it," Tony replied, slightly surprised that Gibbs had opened up to him after all. "And really, it's no problem. We can still stay at my place. Or each at their own places."

"That's not an option," Gibbs answered and seeming out of nowhere, a grin spread on his face.

"Oh," Tony said, leaning forward so that their noses were all but touching. "Isn't it?"

"Nope. I've gotten used to have you there in the mornings."

"Good to hear I'm not the only one," Tony just whispered and then stole a soft kiss.

-x-

A couple of hours later, they were standing in Abby's lab, listening to her rambling about a new assistant that Vance had insisted she had to work with.

"… and really, Gibbs, you know how the last one turned out. I'm good on my own, in fact, I'm the best on my own. I don't need anyone."

"I know that, Abs," Gibbs replied softly, trying to soothe her. "I'll talk to the director."

"You'd do that? That would be so great. Tony told me you had that little wink-wink-nudge-nudge-thing going on. You think you can talk some sense into him?"

"I don't know," Gibbs shrugged. "I can try, though."

"And when Gibbs tries anything, he'll get his way. You know that," Tony joined the conversation, promptly earning himself another head-slap.

Abby grinned at the two of them and seemingly wanted to go back to work as she suddenly appeared to remember something and turned to look at Tony again, fixing him with a stare that easily matched Gibbs'.

"So, tell me. How was your date yesterday?"

Glancing sideways at Gibbs, who was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face, Tony gulped and then answered.

"It was good, but I think we have to go back to work now."

"Oh," Abby replied, grabbing his forearm just as he was about to turn around. "You can't fob me off with a 'good'. I need more information, Tony-Boy."

Tony turned around again, still determined not to tell her anything. She was staring at him all puppy-eyed and he sighed, knowing that if he wouldn't get out of her lab in the next ten seconds, he was doomed.

"What do you mean, you _need_ more information?" he asked, grinning at her. "It's not like you're running a Who-Is-Tony-Dating-At-The-Moment-Barometer." He paused for a moment as Abby just continued to grin broadly at him, her eyes never leaving his. "Or do you?"

Abby giggled and playfully punched him on the shoulder before she suddenly became all serious as she scrutinized him from head to toe.

"No, I'm not. Besides these days, it's rather like 'Wow, he's finally dating again.'"

"Hey," Tony exclaimed, playfully upset, even though he knew that she did have a point, he hadn't been on a date in what seemed like ages. "I could get plenty of dates if I wanted to! But again, I don't think that's any of your business," he gave her a fake smile, knowing that she wouldn't be offended. "And I don't think Gibbs is all that interested in my dating-life, so I'll spare him the details."

Abby stared at him with a wary expression on her face before she turned to look at Gibbs, who had been strikingly silent during their exchange. He eyed him, too, and grinned ever so slightly, when the older man met his glance for a split of a second.

"Tony," Abby had turned towards him again, an evil grin on her face. "Just give me something! Please? I mean, this woman must be really special if you refuse to talk about her. Is she? Special? Because that would be so awesome, I can't even begin to tell you. I was getting worried about you, you know. Thought you might never find someone and end up alone."

Tony stared at her for a moment, furrowing a brow, realizing that Abby had just voiced his deepest and darkest worries that he usually preferred to keep locked in a place where even his own thoughts wouldn't reach them. Had Abby really thought about him that much? He knew that she was very perceptive, of course, knew that she cared a lot about them all, but he hadn't realized just how much she cared. He gave her a smile and quickly glanced at Gibbs who was now intently watching the exchange between them.

"Well," Tony finally started to answer, knowing that he owed her at least some kind an honest answer. "This is different, I guess."

"Good different or bad different?" Abby inquired, her expression back to being merely interested.

"Oh, definitely good."

A broad smile spread on her face now as she took a step forward and threw her arms around him. He let her, slightly gasping for air as she once again all but crushed his rips. He chanced a glance at Gibbs, who was sporting an odd expression at the moment. He had his brows furrowed in confusion, but still gave him an almost soft half-smile. Abby finally let go of him, but kept her hands on Tony's shoulders as she stared at him with determination.

"Then don't mess it up, you hear me? If she's so different, maybe it is exactly what you need."

"I won't mess it up," he smiled at her before he quickly looked at his boss again as he continued. "I promise."

"Good boy," Abby grinned and patted his shoulder before she turned towards Gibbs. "And you tell the director that I don't need that new assistant, please?"

"I will, Abs," Gibbs replied, placing a kiss on her forehead and eyed Tony for a short moment. "I promise."

"Good, thanks. And now, shoo, I have work to do. I can't talk to you two chatterboxes all day."

Letting out a laugh, Tony waved at her and then followed Gibbs out of the lab and into the elevator. The doors had barely closed behind them when the older man flicked the emergency switch.

"Well, that was smooth."

"Sorry," Tony grinned. "But you know that once she's looking at you all puppy-eyed, you don't have any other choice but to tell her at least something. Besides, it's not like I have told her anything."

"I know, Tony," Gibbs replied, giving him that fully grown smile again and Tony felt himself relax instantly as he realized that the other man wasn't really mad at him. "But you do realize that she's going to pester you about meeting your _different_ woman from now on, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware of that," Tony replied thoughtfully, suddenly realizing that at some point the team would catch up on the fact that something was going on between Gibbs and him.

"Don't sweat it," the older man continued to talk, apparently having read Tony's thoughts. "We'll figure it out when we need to, okay?"

"Okay," Tony just said, knowing that he had just found another topic that he would obsess over late at night, when sleep wouldn't have him.

"Relax, it'll be okay," Gibbs assured him and then, to Tony's utter surprise, leaned in to kiss him.

"And here I thought we have to be professional at work."

"We do. But you needed it," Gibbs grinned ever so slightly as he turned the elevator back on. "You free tonight?"

"Yup. Can I interest you in Chinese and a movie at my place, eight o'clock?"

"Sounds good, but make it eight-thirty. I have something to do after work."

"Dealio," Tony just replied and smiled at him, just in time with the doors opening up to the bullpen.

-x-

"So, what was so important that you were late getting here?" Tony asked, comfortably seated on his couch, his feet up on the coffee table and his left arm resting on the backrest.

"Can't tell you," Gibbs mumbled, busy eyeing the contents of the carton in his hands as he figured out what to eat first.

"Why not?"

"Surprise," he grinned and shoved a piece of fried chicken into his mouth.

"I like surprises," Tony declared as he reached for the remote to turn on the movie. "But only for so long. When will I know what it is?"

"Oh, I don't know," Gibbs leaned back against Tony's arm and snuggled closer towards him. "If you behave, maybe tomorrow evening."

"Me? Behaving?" Smirking at him, Tony leaned in and placed a kiss on Gibbs' temple as the other man let out a laugh.

"New concept for you, I know."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Tony grinned and pinched his shoulder. "Besides, you don't seem to mind too much."

"Never said, I do."

"Good," Tony laughed and drew him even closer towards himself. "So, you're ready for the best movie of all times?"

"I'm not sure. Will you talk all the way through it?"

"Nah. I'll be quiet at the best scenes, I promise. I will, however, reserve the right to point out some useful trivia throughout the movie."

"Okay, I guess, I can live with that," Gibbs just replied, kissing him for a moment before he drew his attention towards the screen in front of them to watch _The Godfather_.

"Good," Tony whispered and laid his head upon the other man's, fervently wishing that he could pause this moment just as easily as a movie because he wanted to stay like that forever. He knew that despite all the randomness that Abby was usually rambling about, she had been right about one thing: he really wanted this to work and really wanted this to be different for once.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Would love to hear your thoughts about this one :)_


	11. Caught

_A/N: Thanks again for your reviews, alerts and favorites! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven: Caught<strong>

They had driven to work separately, but still managed to arrive there at almost the same time, despite Gibbs' detour to his own house. Tony shook his head, not sure whether or not he really wanted to know just how fast the other man had been driving. He got out of the car and watched Gibbs park his car and then walk over to him, his glanced fixed upon Tony.

"You're fast."

"Always – when I'm driving."

Tony wiggled his eyebrows at the obvious innuendo and was slightly surprised that he wasn't even remotely freaked out about it. Even more surprising was that Gibbs quickly looked around the garage, making sure that no one was within eyeshot and then placed a soft kiss on Tony's lips, who felt himself respond instantly as he pulled his arms around the older man's waist. When they finally broke apart, Tony was slightly out of breath, but grinned at Gibbs nevertheless.

"Wow, I'm starting to like the unprofessional Gibbs."

The older man just snorted and then slapped him upside the head, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like 'And I'm back', before he made his way towards the elevators leaving Tony standing there for a moment, gaping after him.

-x-

They had barely sat down at their desks that Gibbs' phone started to ring and only seconds later, the usual 'Grab your gear' was to be heard, followed by three rather excited agents jumping off their chairs. Tony was relieved that they wouldn't be spending yet another day on the tedious paperwork. He was finally feeling completely healthy and couldn't wait to start investigating again.

Little did he know that the case would occupy them for the next three days straight, barely leaving them with a chance to eat, let alone catch some sleep. In fact, Tony had just dozed off for what felt like two seconds early in the morning two days later when Gibbs walked back into the bullpen, surprisingly carrying four cups of coffee for all of them, barking at McGee to pull up the dead Petty Officers financial records. If Tony hadn't been almost startled to death, too, he would have laughed at the junior agent as he almost fell off his chair.

He grinned nonetheless as he stood up, stretched himself and then reached for the coffee that Gibbs was holding out to him. For a split of a second, their fingers touched and Tony looked into his boss' icy blue eyes and felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. To his surprise, Gibbs replied it with a small one, too, before he all but ordered, the boss-mask firmly back in place.

"DiNozzo, go down to Abby's, see if she found something on the petty officer's clothes."

"On it, boss."

Making a detour to get her the beloved Caf!Pow, Tony arrived there a couple of minutes later, only to see himself confronted with not only Abby, who was looking like she about to murder someone, but also with a rather young looking guy, who was standing there, reading something on her computer screen.

"Hey Abs," Tony greeted her, giving her the drink which she took with a silent nod. "So, who's your friend?" he continued, when Abby had made no move to say anything.

"That's Blake Jones, my new _assistant_," Abby all but snarled at him and Tony winced ever so slightly, but still made a step forwards and reached out his hand to shake the other man's.

The guy stared at him for a moment, his mouth slightly hanging open, before he subtly shook his head as if to get out of his headspace and took Tony's hand.

"I'm Tony DiNozzo," he said, still slightly startled by the other man's behavior. "I'm with Team Gibbs. You'll see a lot of us around here." He leaned in a bit more, causing the other man to actually take a step back. "And Abby is usually a nice person. She just doesn't like the superiors making decisions without her knowing. If you're good, she's going to love you in no time."

The other man nodded, getting paler by the second and Tony decided to step away from him, not sure whether he was annoyed or freaked out by the kid's behavior.

"Abs, you got something from the clothes, we brought in?"

"No yet, Tony, sorry," and she really sounded it, too. "But I can tell you that it wasn't Petty Officer Black's blood on his shoes. I have yet to determine whose it is, though."

"Okay, thanks, Abs," Tony replied and smiled at her as she grabbed his upper arm and all but dragged him out of her lab with her.

"Gibbs did talk to the director, right?" Tony asked, rubbing his arm.

"Yeah, but it was already too late, apparently I'm overworked. Like there's such a thing for Abby Scuito. Thing is, the guy's pretty cool actually."

"So, what's the problem?" Tony snorted, wondering when exactly he had missed the 'cool guy' just in there.

"I don't like having an assistant, Tony."

"What if he can actually help?" Tony whispered, grinning at her. "Would that be so bad?"

"No, I guess not," Abby replied slowly, her shoulders slumping. "Though he was acting really weird with you just now."

"You don't say," he answered sarcastically.

"I'll put him straight on that, trust me. No one's rude to my Tony."

"Except for Gibbs," Tony finished her sentence and promptly got a punch on his already hurting arm in return.

"Don't say that, he just knows when you need it. But now go. I have to break in the new kid."

Tony snorted and then made his way up towards the bullpen again.

-x-

A couple of hours later, Gibbs ordered all of them to join Abby and Jones in their lab as she had apparently just called to tell him that they had found something. Silently praying that this would be their break, Tony trailed behind the others, yawning widely. He could really use a couple of hours of sleep by now, preferably wrapped in Jethro's arms, but that was probably not in his near future. They reached the lab and Abby immediately started to ramble about how they had managed to find out how the petty officer had been killed and especially who had done it.

Tony opened his mouth to cut her off and tell her to cut to the chase, but before he could even make a sound, Abby had turned towards him, wearing the same deadly expression that she had fixed Jones with that very morning. Tony shut his mouth and out of the corners of his eyes, he saw McGee furrowing a brow at her.

"Abby," Gibbs, apparently oblivious to whatever was going on, interrupted her. "What have you found?"

"Well," the Goth replied and the smile was back on her face when she turned towards the boss-man, leaving Tony even more uncomfortable as he tried to figure out what exactly he could have done wrong this time, but came up empty. "It seems like Black was killed by a blow to the head, I'm sure, Ducky has already told you that. But I - or I guess we - matched the fracture to a baseball bat. And the blood we found on Black's shoes was from Lt. Harry McKenzie, his CO."

"Good work, Abby," Gibbs said as usual kissing her forehead before he nodded at Jones and then turned around to look at his agents. "DiNozzo, Ziva, bring in the lieutenant, McGee get me as much information on the guy as you can."

-x-

It was already after midnight when Tony leaned back in chair, running a tired hand over his face. He had just finished his report, had made sure that he had dotted the i's and crossed all the t's and was now really looking forward to going home. Their suspect had caved pretty quickly after Gibbs had used his infamous death-glare on him in interrogation, claiming that the petty officer had refused to give him his part of a shared lottery win. Tony shook his head, wondering why in the world someone would kill somebody over not even $5.000, but then realized that he was never able to understand murders in the first place.

He printed out his report for Gibbs to read as his thoughts strayed to Abby again, the uneasy feeling that she was mad at him for some reason still not vanished. He internally ran through all the things that had happened between their last talk about Blake and now, but he wasn't able to come up with anything. What could have happened that had made her look at him like that? Or had he imagined it after all? But then, McGee's furrowed brow came back into his mind and his heart sank again, realizing that it had indeed been very real. He'd have to talk to Gibbs about that, see if he had noticed that something was off, too.

He grabbed the printouts, stapled them together and then offered the pieces of paper to Gibbs, who took them with the slightest of smiles as their eyes met. Involuntarily, Tony yawned again and caught Gibbs grin at him ever so slightly.

"Go home," he all but ordered then, raising an eyebrow at him and Tony nodded in return, hoping that Gibbs was once again able to read his thoughts.

The barely audible 'okay' that followed was enough for him to know that the older man would show up at Tony's place at some point during the night and Tony released a soft sigh at the mere thought of it. He went back to his desk, grabbed his backpack and had already nodded good night to Ziva and McGee as Gibbs spoke up again.

"Go down to see Abby before you go, you got that?"

Tony turned around again, eyeing him for a moment and then realized that his boss had all been but oblivious earlier. He nodded once again and made his way down into the lab, internally bracing himself for whatever might lie ahead.

"Abs, you still here?" he called out when he reached the lab which was still illuminated by the lights, but oddly enough there was no music playing.

"Yeah," came back the quiet answer and Tony was now able to see her sitting in front of one of her computers in her office.

Tony approached her, making sure that Jones had already left and was mildly satisfied when he realized that they were alone for once. He sat down next to her, trying to make her look at him, but her glance was still fixed on the screen in front of her, even though she was basically just staring at her screensaver.

"Is something up?" Tony tried to gain her attention, but she still refused to look at him.

"Nope."

"Then, why are you mad?"

"Am not," came back a snot-nosed answer and Tony felt his heart suddenly pick up pace as he realized he had no idea what was up with her.

"What have I done wrong then, 'cause if you don't tell me, I can't apologize."

"It's not what you did, but what you didn't do," Abby replied, finally turning to look at him.

Her expression wasn't angry anymore but rather hurt now and Tony felt the sudden urge to wrap his arms around her, but realized that that was probably a foolish idea.

"Help me out here, please? What is it that I haven't done exactly?"

Abby crossed her arms across her chest, glaring at him once again as if he had just killed her favorite puppy. He tried to give her a smile, but stopped dead in his tracks when she started to speak again.

"Don't play dumb on me. Blake saw you."

Tony shook his head, trying to figure out what exactly her new assistant could have seen exactly. Very briefly his thoughts reached Gibbs, but they had barely talked to each other those last two days, except for a 'Shut it, DiNozzo' and an 'On it, boss'. Tony shrugged now, urging her to go on speaking, but once again she remained silent.

"He saw me doing what? I really can't think of anything I could have done to make you mad, I'm really sorry."

"Why haven't you told me before, Tony? You know you can talk to me and tell me anything! Don't you trust me?"

"Of course, I do, Abby," Tony hurried to reply, feeling himself getting restless all of a sudden.

"Then you should know that I'm not prejudiced or anything."

"I know that. I really do. You're the most open-minded person I know."

"Then why the hell didn't you tell me you were seeing a guy?" Abby cried out and stood up now, pacing around her small office.

Tony stared at her for a moment, simultaneously feeling his insides freeze and his heart pick up pace. He was pretty sure he was looking like the often-cited deer caught in the headlights. He had opened and closed his mouth at least three times before he ran a hand through his hair and his mind went back online again.

What the hell had the guy seen? He thought about the last two days and then felt his heart sink, when he realized that he had kissed Gibbs in the parking lot the other day. Jones must have seen them there, there was no other way. Tony sighed and was about to speak up again, was about to soothe the Goth who was still staring at him with a hurt look on her face, her hands on her hips, as another thought suddenly crossed in his mind. It was quite obvious that Abby was mad at him, but hadn't she been acting perfectly normal towards their boss? Was there a chance that Jones had only recognized him, but not Gibbs? The chances were probably pretty slim, but he had to try anyway.

"What did he see?" he finally asked so quietly that Abby immediately stopped pacing and looked at him again, some of the anger vanishing from her beautiful features.

"He saw you kissing another guy in the garage. That's why he was acting all weird around you because he was sure that he hadn't been supposed to see it."

"No, he really shouldn't have," Tony replied only above a whisper, rubbing a hand over his face, somewhat relieved that Abby apparently didn't know who exactly the other guy had been. "I'm sorry, Abs, I should have told you about it. But I didn't know how, okay?"

Abby nodded slowly now and tilted her head ever so slightly. Tony felt his pulse slow down as he realized that she seemed to be mollified by his apology. He still had no clue what to tell her, still had no clue what to do now and how she would react to all of this but then, she sat down next to him again and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Tony felt himself relax against her and took a deep breath, his mind still working overtime.

"Don't tell anyone?" he then asked as she had finally let go of him.

"I promise and I'll tell Blake, too. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything. Who else knows?"

"Nobody," Tony replied. "It's still new, you know."

"Okay. So, is this only different because he's a guy or is there really something more this time?"

Tony thought about it for a moment before he felt a smile spread on his face, realizing that he didn't even have to lie about it for once.

"No, it's different different. Like I said before, this seems real, you know."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Tony," Abby answered enthusiastically and once again hugged him. Still beaming, she continued. "Didn't know you were playing for both teams, though. You being Mr. Womanizer and all."

Tony let out a laugh and subtly shook his head as he thought about an honest answer to that one. "I don't think I am. This thing with the guy just happened, you know. I still have no idea what exactly we're doing, but it seems right."

"You're so cute," Abby beamed. "Can I meet him sometime? You know I have to approve of any love interest of yours."

"Since when?" Tony quipped, only earning himself a soft punch on his shoulder. "Yeah, once things have settled down, I'll introduce you."

He sighed inwardly as remorse began to creep up his spine. He didn't like lying to Abby at all, but he couldn't see any other way at the moment. At least he hadn't blatantly lied to her as he had merely concealed the fact that he was seeing Gibbs.

"Great," she replied and hugged him again before she got up. "And now, shoo. Go home, get some sleep."

"Okay, ma'am," Tony stood up, too. "And you're not mad anymore?"

"Not mad, I promise. Pinky swear."

-x-

Once in his car, Tony fished his cell out of his pocket, hit speed dial and waited for Gibbs to pick up his phone.

"Gibbs."

"Hey, it's me. You still in the bullpen?"

"Uh-huh," came back the reluctant answer and Tony realized that he wasn't alone.

"Okay. Just talked to Abby. In a nutshell, she knows I'm seeing a guy, but not that it's you. Jones apparently saw us kiss the other day. I'm so sorry."

"Okay," Gibbs' answer was immediate and Tony wasn't able to read anything into it. "Not your fault."

"Still be seeing you at my place later?"

"Uh-huh. About half an hour," Gibbs replied and Tony heard the ding of the elevator in the background.

There were a few moments of silence before Gibbs spoke again, his voice sounding rather clangorous as he was apparently standing in the elevator now.

"Abby still mad at you?"

"No, she's just been disappointed I didn't tell her. But she understood once I told her that it was still new and all."

"Good," Gibbs replied and then softly continued. "You okay?"

Tony thought about it for a moment or two, realizing that he was just that – okay. "Yeah, still kind of shell-shocked, you know."

"Don't worry, we'll figure everything out, okay? I'll come by your place later and we can talk things through."

Tony sighed again as he started his car and then answered. "I'd rather not. At least not tonight. I just want to cuddle up in bed and forget anything has ever happened if that's okay."

"Sure, works for me," Tony could almost hear the smile through the receiver and felt himself relax again.

"See you later then."

"Yeah, bye, Tony."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hate it? Like it? Let me know what you think! :)_


	12. Freaked

_A/N: 1) There seems to be a problem with the last chapter as it won't show up for me anymore, even though I got reviews for it. So, here's to hoping that this one will..._

_2) Thanks for said reviews! :) Keep them coming, please! xD_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve: Freaked<strong>

Tony wasn't quite sure whether or not he had actually heard Gibbs enter his apartment and lie down beside him, but it wasn't really important anyway. At one point in the night, he had woken up as he had turned around to snuggle closer to the other man. He had been so exhausted that nothing really mattered, not even that he had basically come out of the closet to Abby even if he hadn't exactly been in there in the first place. Fatigue had pulled him back into sleep before he could really think about it, though.

"Hey Tony, wake up."

Tony jerked awake and looked around wildly for a few moments before he realized that it had been Gibbs' voice and that he was sitting in his own bed. His shirt was drenched in sweat and was clinging uncomfortably to his skin. He rubbed a tired hand over his face and then looked at Gibbs who was meeting his glance squarely, raising an eyebrow and simultaneously rubbing his left shoulder.

"What happened?" Tony asked when his heart rate had finally calmed down.

"I don't know," Gibbs replied, sitting up himself now. "Guess you had a nightmare. Tossed around and hit me in the course or something."

"Sorry," Tony said, giving him a sheepish grin, but the older man just waved him off.

He tried to remember what he had dreamt about, but wasn't exactly hopeful to be able to recall anything as he could barely retell any of his dreams. Now, however, flashes of himself talking to his father, trying to tell him something important, mixed with images of McGee becoming pale and Ziva retreating from him with a disgusted expression on her face. Tony got out of bed now and got rid of his wet t-shirt as he heard his pulse rushing loudly through his ears before he started to pace around his bedroom, all the time feeling Gibbs' eyes on him.

"What's wrong, Tony?" Gibbs' voice finally reached his ears and he turned to look at him.

He was still sitting on the bed, his hair sticking up in various places despite the short haircut. He was sporting a rather concerned expression now as he propped himself on his arms to get a better look at Tony, who was currently staring at him with wide eyes. He didn't quite know what was up and wrong with him all of a sudden. But he was still sweating and there was something that kept on nagging at him in the back of his mind. Gibbs was getting out of bed himself now, but Tony just shook his head vehemently when he approached him and he actually took a step back.

"Tony?" Gibbs prodded, his voice only above a whisper now, concern clearly perceivable.

"What are we doing, Gibbs?" Tony finally asked equally quiet. "We can't do this."

"Why not?" the older man replied confused, sharply looking at him for a moment before he searched for eye contact, but Tony had his glance fixed on the wall behind him.

"Just because," Tony continued, searching for the right words. "I just came out to Abby for heaven's sake! I can't just do that. Gibbs, I'm not gay!"

Gibbs stared at him, suddenly a lot paler than usual, but said nothing. He made a few steps towards Tony and came to a stop only inches away from. He tilted his head ever so slightly so that Tony couldn't help but to look him in the eye. His mind was still working overtime, trying to connect the dots between his dream and his sudden freak-out. He gulped as he realized that Gibbs waited for him to say something, but came up empty. Trying to take a deep breath and to clear his mind, Tony subtly shook his head and felt his heart become heavier as he was able to identify the look on Gibbs' face. He was looking rather sad, maybe even crushed and Tony sighed, wondering why he was freaking out all of a sudden.

He was just about to open his mouth to apologize as his alarm clock started to ring, signaling them to get up and go to work. Gibbs, too, sighed now and then slowly and almost carefully raised his hand to put it on Tony's shoulder.

"Let's talk about this tonight over steaks, okay?"

Tony could only nod as he ran his fingers through his hair and finally averted his glance from Gibbs' torn face.

"Promise me not to freak out anymore than now?" Gibbs' voice was somehow so defeated that Tony involuntarily locked eyes with him again.

"Okay," Tony replied dully and then flinched away ever so slightly as Gibbs made a movement as if he wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek.

The other man just nodded curtly at him, then got dressed without another word and left Tony's apartment, leaving him standing there shocked by his own behavior.

-x-

In general, Friday's weren't exactly known to go by fast, but no Friday in history could have been dragging out so long than this one. Tony didn't even know whether or not he wanted another dead marine to wash up. On the one hand, it would provide him with the opportunity to not having to think about anything, but on the other hand, he wasn't exactly keen on having to stay in the office longer than necessary as he couldn't concentrate on anything longer than a few seconds. His thoughts were still whirling around in his mind, one minute calming him down that all he had to do was talk to Gibbs and everything would be alright, just to tell him the next that this had been an horrible idea, that he couldn't possible start anything with his boss and more importantly with a man.

Whenever his glance reached Gibbs' desk, the man would look up from the files in front of him and give him a look that Tony wasn't even able to identify. It was probably meant to encourage and reassure him, but it wasn't really working.

By 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Tony knew that he had to pull himself together or otherwise Ziva would corner him in the men's room sooner than he would have liked, judging from the glances she was constantly sharing with the McProbie. He just couldn't help it, but had still no idea why he was so freaked out. The phone interrupted his train of thought and with a sigh he answered it, internally bracing himself for whatever Abby wanted from him.

"Hey Tony-Boy," he heard her cheery voice through the receiver. "Can you come down for a second? I have to show you something."

"Sure."

He stood up, sighed again and looked at Gibbs for a moment. "Abby wants something. I'll be right back."

Gibbs watched him warily but nodded and Tony reluctantly made his way down into the lab. As he entered, he felt his insides freeze as he saw Jones standing next to her, his face slightly flushed as Abby all but shoved him towards Tony.

"Agent DiNozzo," the assistant pressed out. "I'm sorry for my behavior yesterday. I didn't mean to be… like that."

Momentarily confused, Tony averted his glance from the kid to look at Abby instead, who was giving him one of her broad smiles and he felt his heart sink as he realized that he would probably hurt her feelings pretty soon.

"Uh," he finally replied. "No problem."

"Thanks," Jones replied and almost fearfully stepped away from him again, eyeing Abby for a moment who nodded approvingly.

"Hey, can you take these down to Autopsy?" she asked him then, holding up a few pieces of paper. "Palmer forgot to sign them earlier."

"Sure," the kid replied and then all but ran out the lab.

"Wow," Tony said sarcastically and tried to grin at her. "That was incredibly smooth."

"It needed to be done," she answered sternly and then gestured towards the chairs in front of her computers, letting him know that he was supposed to sit down.

"I'm really busy," Tony replied, not wanting to talk to her but fell silent when she fixed him with a glare that easily matched Gibbs'.

"You're not busy at all. Come on, I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Tony sat down and sighed, staring at his hands.

"Just wanted to ask what you're doing this weekend. We could go out, you know. You, me and your mystery-man?"

Tony groaned, not averting his glance from his hands as he answered. "Don't."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"I told you, I'm not ready for this. Why does everyone keep on nagging me about it?"

He had raised his voice and immediately regretted it as he turned towards her and saw the look on her face that was an odd mixture of confusion and transgression.

"Sorry," he hurried to continue. "Not your fault."

"Hey," Abby said almost softly. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he sighed again. "I'm just freaking out. Sorry I took it out on you."

"Don't worry about it. Why are you freaking?"

"I don't know. It's just… What am I thinking? You know, I've never been interested in guys before and now all of a sudden he's… there and it's all too much. I don't think I can handle it."

"Did he," Abby replied carefully. "You know… force anything?"

Tony stared at her for a moment before he understood what she had just implied and vehemently shook his head.

"'Course not. I can handle myself, Abs. I'm just… being stupid, I guess."

"No, you're not. Don't even think it, you hear me? It's okay to freak out from time to time."

"Yeah," Tony slowly answered and gave her a small smile, suddenly actually feeling a little bit better.

He should probably just talk to Gibbs, sort things out and everything would go back to normal or as normal as things could get lately.

"Maybe you should talk to Gibbs about it."

Tony gave a start at that and felt his stomach getting all queasy as he turned to look at her, trying to figure out what had given him away this time. How did she know about Gibbs all of a sudden?

"G-Gibbs?" he finally stammered once again finding interest in his hands.

"Yeah, him. You know, the Silver Fox aka your boss. You always go to him when you need some advice, right? I mean we all do."

Tony let out a relieved laugh and nodded as he stood up and flipped one of her pigtails. "Yeah, maybe I will."

"Good boy," she replied and gave him a smile again. "And if you want to talk about it or anything, you know where to find me, right?"

"Yeah, thanks."

-x-

A couple of hours later, he found himself sitting on Gibbs' couch, watching the other man grill two steaks over the fireplace. They had barely talked ever since Tony had arrived half an hour ago, but he didn't particularly mind as he still hadn't made up his mind. The talk with Abby had calmed him down a bit and he knew that she was right. He was just freaking out and simply needed to talk to him. He sipped from his beer as his eyes traveled along Gibbs' body as he kneeled in front of the fire. He was looking good, his jeans fitting perfectly for once, the blue polo-shirt matching his eyes. Tony felt the corners of his mouth twitch ever so slightly and felt something weird spread in his stomach as he realized that he wouldn't have thought about his boss like that merely three weeks ago. Maybe it was a sign that he was giving this too much thought and that he had changed after all. Gibbs placed the steaks on two plates and handed one to Tony, who took it with a silent nod of thanks and reached for his knife. They ate in silence for a while and he realized that while Gibbs was sitting relatively close to him, he wasn't quite touching him as if he wanted Tony to make that last step. Suddenly feeling very grateful, Tony set the plate down on the coffee table and turned to look at the other man who immediately stopped eating himself as he fixed him with an almost tender glance.

"Look Jethro," Tony finally started to talk when he was sure that his voice wouldn't betray him. "I'm sorry about this morning. I don't know what it is that has me off kilter all of a sudden. I just don't know what we're doing. I mean, I'm not ready to go out there and tell the world I'm gay because I'm not even sure that I am. Don't get me wrong, I like you. A lot. But I… I don't know. What are we doing?"

"Tony, listen," Gibbs replied after a few moments of silence. "I know this is weird, okay? And I haven't planned any of this, either. And you've got every right in the world to freak out. I know I have. Maybe I still do. But we can't keep going like this if you're not comfortable with this. You need to tell me what's bothering you. Is it Abby? Or is it what we are doing? Are we going too fast?"

"No," Tony blurted out, leaning back against the backrest of the couch and running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I just wanted to take this slow, you know. But now that Abby knows, I'm not sure whether we'll be able to. I mean, I can't even imagine telling Tim or Ziva about it, not because I don't want them to know, but because I want to understand it myself first. Sorry, that doesn't even make sense."

"Hey," Gibbs interrupted him softly. "We don't need to tell them, okay? I mean, not right away. And forget about Abby for a moment. Are you freaking out because you don't want anyone to know or because of something else?"

"Both, I guess," Tony sighed. "I know we haven't done anything really, but…"

"But what? Tony, we can still stop this, no one forces you to do stuff you don't want to. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know, I know. Thing is," he replied and finally looked into those bright blue eyes again. "I really want this, but at the same time I'm terrified. I just didn't expect that something like this would happen."

"Well, that makes two of us."

Tony let out a laugh and for the first time that day really looked at Jethro. His expression was still worried, his cheeks slightly flushed, but there was the tiniest of smiles forming on his lips at the moment and all of a sudden Tony realized that he wasn't alone in this after all. He could have hit himself for not realizing it earlier. Of course, this was just as new to Gibbs as it was to him and he was sure that the other man was having the exact same thoughts than he was.

"So, your choice," Gibbs' voice cut through his inner monologue. "Either we break it off now, let it rest and remain friends or we keep doing this. I know I wasn't exactly keen on defining what we've been doing before, but maybe we need to."

"Maybe we do, yeah," Tony replied thoughtfully. "So what is it?"

"I don't know. I mean… ah hell. I suck at this," Gibbs gave him a small smile before he continued. "I mean, I like you and you like me. We're not seeing any other people. Sounds like a damn relationship to me."

"Yeah," Tony just said and finally felt a smile spread on his face. "That sounds all right."

"Does it, now?" Jethro laughed and Tony felt his heart miss a beat all of a sudden. "We don't have to hurry anything. We're both new at this, but I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "It is. I'm sorry I keep freaking out about it."

"Just means you're serious about this. Nothing wrong with that."

"Okay," Tony let out a relieved sigh. "Can I ask you for one thing, though?"

"Sure."

"Can you talk to me, too, when you're freaking out? Just so that I don't feel like the only idiot here."

"Okay," Gibbs laughed and then picked up his plate and started eating again. "You'll stay the night?"

"Definitely," Tony replied, reaching for his steak. "After all, we have stuff to figure out, right?"

"Right."


	13. Deferred

_A/N: Sorry for the slight delay this time, but the thing called real life suddenly happened xD Anywho, thanks again for your awesome reviews! :) I hope you like the next chapter, too! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen: Deferred<strong>

Despite Tony's complaints the night before, they had ended up sleeping on Gibbs' couch again. This time he found himself pinned against the backrest, one arm lying upon it, the other one trapped somewhere between his own body and Gibbs' early on Saturday morning. The other man was still sound asleep and Tony took a moment to look at him more closely. He seemed rather relaxed now, though there was a slight crease on his forehead which Tony hadn't noticed before. He turned his head a bit and carefully pulled his arm out between their bodies to prop himself up on it to get a closer look. Gibbs was looking perfectly fine, his hair disheveled a bit, his eyelids fluttering ever so slightly. Apparently, he was dreaming at the moment and Tony would have given his right arm to get to know what about. He, himself, had had a perfect night's sleep without dreaming about anything at all and was starting to think that he had been stupid the day before. He knew that they had probably still a few freak-outs coming, but he hadn't been handling it particularly well. He sighed inwardly and vowed to himself to talk about stuff that bothered him before he would start running amok again. Speaking of which, he would probably need to apologize to Abby, too, though she did seem mollified at the end of their conversation, but Tony knew better than that.

His musings were interrupted when Gibbs moved next to him and slowly opened his eyes. Tony felt his heart suddenly miss a beat as he saw the almost soft smile spread on Gibbs' lips before he sat up and gave him a quick kiss.

"Morning," he then mumbled and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Good morning."

"So, I see you survived another night on my couch?" Gibbs smirked ever so slightly as he stood up and offered Tony a hand.

"Barely," he just replied and took the hand. "I don't think I have my sensation in my right arm back yet."

"Wuss," Gibbs muttered under his breath, but Tony had heard it anyways and snorted.

"Am not. But you have to admit that that couch," he pointed at the offending piece of furniture, "is not cut out for two grown men to sleep on."

Gibbs eyed him for a moment with an expression that Tony wasn't able to place before he drew him closer, so that their noses were all but touching before he answered.

"Okay. We'll sleep at your place tonight."

"Sounds like heaven," Tony just replied slowly, mesmerized by those blue eyes so close to him.

He didn't even have the chance to blink once before Gibbs closed the gap between them and kissed him thoroughly, leaving Tony breathless for a moment or two when they finally pulled apart.

"You're still not sure you want to do this?" the older man asked then, his expression serious, but Tony wasn't fooled because his eyes were holding a rather mischievous spark in them.

"Oh, I want to do this," Tony just replied and then stepped out of the guy's arms in order to be able to think straight. "So, what you're doing today? You got any plans?"

"No clue," Gibbs said, already on his way into the kitchen, probably to start the coffee maker. "Nothing much, we're still on call."

"Yeah, I know. So what would you do if I wasn't here?"

Tony shrugged into Gibbs' black hoodie, mildly satisfied that it fit him to a tee and then followed him into the kitchen. Casually leaning against the counter, he accepted the offered coffee and looked at Gibbs now, who sipped on his cup before he finally answered.

"Work on the boat? But I guess that's not an option today."

"Why not?" Tony asked slightly irritated as Gibbs came over and stopped right next to him to lean against the counter, too.

"You'll be bored."

Tony let out a laugh and shook his head before he turned ever so slightly as he answered.

"How many times have I watched you work on the boat? Name me one time, I've been bored."

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Don't you usually come round, when you got something on your mind? 'Course you wouldn't be bored then."

Tony looked at him for a moment or two before he realized that Gibbs was actually right. He hadn't even realized that he had been doing this all those years and the sudden feeling of guilt made itself perceivable. Shouldn't he have stopped by at Gibbs' place for other reasons than to soothe his own mind once in a while? Was he really that selfish?

"I never realized."

"Hey," Gibbs answered quietly as if he had once again been reading Tony's thoughts. "Nothing wrong with seeking reassurance, you hear me?"

"Okay," Tony gave him his most sincere smile as he realized that the other man had meant it. "But seriously, go work on the boat, I'll watch and later we can order pizza or Chinese or whatever. I'm totally fine with that."

"Not working like that, Tony," Gibbs replied and smirked at him for a moment. "I'll only go down there if you help."

Tony let out a laugh and then held up both of his hands to stress his point. "My hands are good for many things, Jethro, but I highly doubt that wood working is one of them."

"I'll teach you."

"You serious?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs just answered and downed his coffee before he took Tony's hand and all but dragged him downstairs.

-x-

"With the grain, Tony," Gibbs all but ordered two hours later.

Tony stopped his sanding for a moment and sighed as he turned around - only to be faced with a smirking Gibbs. Tony approached him and wanted to hand over the sander, but Gibbs just shook his head as he placed a kiss on Tony's cheek. He nodded towards the spot that Tony had just been sanding before he took the sander after all and started to make slow and sure motions.

"See? Not that hard."

"If you say so," Tony just replied, but was nevertheless smiling as Gibbs gave him back the tool.

He started sanding again, all the while feeling the other man's eyes on him.

"Once more," Gibbs finally spoke up again, "with feeling."

Tony let out a laugh as he turned his head to watch the other man closely, but he didn't give anything away for the moment.

"That was a movie quote, you know that, right?"

"Whatever," Gibbs just replied and then stepped behind Tony and laid both of his hands over Tony's to guide his movements.

Tony felt his heart pick up pace as he felt the heat radiate from Gibbs as his arms came around him. Tony held still for a moment before he let Gibbs take the control as he moved the sander over the wood smoothly. In hopes of getting his heart rate back to normal, Tony took a deep breath, but realized that that had been a foolish idea as he was only to smell the other man's unique scent – that odd mixture of wood, Old Spice and coffee. Tony let himself melt into the embrace, not paying any attention to the sander in his hands at all. All he could concentrate on was the hands on his own and Gibbs' chest flush against his back.

He let go of the tool now and turned around in the other man's arms, leaning back against the boat-to-be and felt the familiar flutter in his stomach as he grabbed Gibbs by the collar of his polo shirt to draw him closer before he caught his lips. He savored solely in the feel and smell of Gibbs' lips for a few moments until his lips parted ever so slightly, offering more. Never one to hesitate, Tony accepted the invitation and let his tongue explore deeper before meeting up with Gibbs'.

He brought his hands around the other man's waist, drawing him, if possible, even closer. He heard Gibbs groan as they kept on kissing and like on their own accord, his hands played with the hem of Jethro's shirt before they finally came in contact with the skin underneath and felt Gibbs shudder ever so slightly under his touch. He was trailing unknown patterns at the other man's back now, never once breaking their kiss and not even thinking about what he was doing exactly. Only when he felt Gibbs' fingers softly playing with the hair on the back of his neck did he back away ever so slightly. He looked at him for a moment, realizing that Gibbs looked flushed, his eyes were slightly darker than usual and he was smiling broadly at him.

"Move this up to the living-room?" Tony asked then, still slightly out of breath and felt something in his stomach flutter when Gibbs just nodded and took his hand again.

They all but stumbled upstairs, kissing each other all the way until the finally fell onto the couch and Tony immediately resumed his earlier actions of trailing patterns on Gibbs' skin, this time on his stomach, right around the bellybutton, while kissing his way across the other man's jaw to his ear. He heard the other man hiss ever so slightly, but didn't stop because Gibbs' hands were roaming up and down his back again reassuringly. Tony felt the heat rush further south when the older man's fingers were touching the skin just above the waistband of his jeans. They broke their kiss for a moment in order to catch their breath and instead looked into each other's eyes. Tony's green ones flickered towards the other man's lips again and he unconsciously licked his own, but before he could lean into Gibbs again, the older man had gotten up, leaving Tony sitting there, staring after him as he disappeared for a few moments until Tony was able to hear the lock turn on the front door. Tony took a deep breath, trying to compose himself and ran a hand through his hair as Gibbs reentered the living-room, a half-smile on his face.

"Locking the door?" Tony asked, realizing that he was still rather breathless. "That's new."

"Don't want anyone walk in here while we… do this."

"Yeah," Tony answered grinning and pulled him down towards him again.

They started kissing again, but something in the back of his mind was nagging at him all of a sudden. Apparently sensing Tony's slight reluctance, Gibbs pulled away from him, one arm resting on the backrest of the couch now, the other one lying on Tony's thigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tony answered, dragging out the word in order to buy himself some time to think. "The thought of someone catching us just has me… feeling weird."

Gibbs remained silent as he rubbed a hand over his face before he looked at him again, that smile still not vanished from his face.

"Sorry," Tony added as there was no audible response from the other man, who then shook his head.

"What for? Don't worry 'bout it."

"You sure, you're fine with this?" Tony asked quietly, his heart suddenly beating faster again.

"Yes, 'course I am. I want us both to feel comfortable. And right now, you're not. And that's okay, too."

"But it's always me that is pulling away," he replied even more quietly, but felt the pressure on his thigh increase as Gibbs moved a bit closer.

"That's not true. I wouldn't have gone any further than this right now anyway. We're not ready for this."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Gibbs just replied and placed a soft kiss on Tony's cheek.

He felt himself relax again and had already opened his mouth to continue when Gibbs' cell suddenly started to ring. With some effort Jethro was finally able to pull the phone from the pocket of his jeans. After a rather disgruntled 'Gibbs' and a few noises that sounded suspiciously like grunts, he hung up again and Tony knew that it could only have been Dispatch calling them in for a new case.

"Case?"

"Yep, wife of a petty officer found dead in her house in Quantico."

"Damn," Tony just replied and had already gotten up when he remembered something. "Do I have time to go home first? I don't have any fresh clothes here."

"Just keep wearing what you're wearing now?"

"Jethro," Tony grinned as he gestured towards the black hoodie. "That's yours."

"So?"

"Don't you think that it would be a tiny little bit suspicious if I was wearing your stuff at work?"

"When have I ever worn that sweater at work, Tony? You'll be fine. We don't have any time anyways. So suck it up."

"Fine," Tony replied as he placed a quick peck on the other man's cheek. "You're the boss and you'll take full responsibility on that one."

"Guess I can live with that."

"Not that there's any other choice," Tony grumbled and pulled on his coat, but was startled as Gibbs' arms came around his waist from behind all of a sudden.

"Just a pleasure deferred, right?"

"You bet," Tony chuckled as Gibbs dropped a kiss to his neck. "Won't stop me from staring at you inconspicuously all day."

"I'll look forward to that, then," Gibbs laughed before he closed the front door behind them, heading into yet another day of work.

* * *

><p><em>AN: The next chapter will have more 'plot' again, I promise xD Let me know what you thought about this one, though! :)_


	14. Intermitted

_A/N: Wow, already over 200 reviews and story alerts! :) You guys are sooo awesome! Thank you so much! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen: Intermitted<strong>

Tony arrived at the crime scene a quarter of an hour later than Gibbs because he had made a detour to get them all a cup of coffee as he had wanted to make sure that they wouldn't get there at the same time. It wouldn't probably have been overly suspicious because they usually were the first ones there, despite all the mocking from Ziva and McGee that Tony was tardy person. The crime scene, however, was a gruesome sight this time. Petty Officer Johnson's wife had been stabbed with a knife repeatedly, resulting in blood everywhere around the living-room. Even though Tony was somewhat used to it by now, he would never get over the brutality of any killer's action. He subtly shook his head and started taking pictures just like Gibbs had ordered him to.

They spent most of the crime scene investigation in silence, each agent engrossed in his respective task. And that was also why Tony almost jumped when he felt a hand on his head all of a sudden. Mystified, he turned around and saw Ziva standing there, surely having pulled off one of her old ninja-skills to sneak up on him. She was still fussing with his hair as if she was trying to flatten it out. He jerked away his head and stared at her as he started to run his fingers through his hair himself.

"What the hell, Ziva?"

"Relax," she said, chuckling ever so slightly. "Your hair looks ridiculous. You look like you are straight out of bed."

"I do?" Tony asked, trying to put on his most genuine neutral mask.

"Yes, did you not look at yourself in a mirror before you left?"

"Nope, I was in the middle of watching a basketball game when Gibbs called me," Tony lied effortlessly. "There wasn't much time. You know how grumpy he gets when I'm late."

"Not as grumpy as when I catch you doing nothing," Gibbs' voice was suddenly right behind him and the head slap was delivered right away.

Tony shot a withering glare at Ziva who just grinned back at him. She had clearly set him up to this one, but she only shrugged and was about to return to her work of bagging and tagging as Gibbs' hand also connected with the back of her head.

"What was that for?" she complained and Tony couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"For setting him up. And now back to work, people."

Tony shot her an amused grin which she returned with a slight nod of her head before they both hurried to get going again, not wanting to give Gibbs another chance to come down on them.

-x-

Tony had his nose in a case file as he was about to enter Abby's lab and therefore almost ran into Blake who had apparently just left it.

"Oh sorry, Agent DiNozzo," the younger man hurried to apologize, but Tony just dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"My fault, wasn't paying attention."

Blake just nodded and hurried past him and Tony briefly wondered whether the guy was actually afraid of him or was still feeling uncomfortable around him because of the thing that had happened in the parking lot the other day. Mentally shrugging, he walked into the Goth's lab and was slightly surprised that Abby gave him a broad grin as he came into her field of vision.

"Hey Tony."

"Hi," Tony replied somewhat confused as her eyes traveled along his body. "Are you checking me out, Abs?"

Abby looked up into his face and chuckled ever so slightly.

"Actually I am. Didn't realize I miss Casual-Tony."

He looked down at himself, but couldn't find anything particular winsome about himself as he was wearing a pair of old jeans and Jethro's incredibly comfortable hoodie.

"Did you, now?"

"Most definitely," Abby replied as she approached him. "Nothing against your suits, but you do look dashing like that."

Tony let out a laugh, shook his head and was just about to ask her something about the case when she reached out a hand. For a second, he thought that she would pat his shoulder, but she merely tugged on his pullover and got rid of a lint there. She then furrowed her brow and leaned even closer towards him and then took a deep breath. Slightly taken aback, Tony made a step backwards. He knew of course that Abby was strange at times, but that just now seemed a bit extreme even for her.

"Why are you sniffing me?" he asked slightly irritated.

"You smell like Gibbs."

Tony stared at her for a moment, feeling the blood drain from his face. His pulse was rushing loudly through his ears and he fervently hoped that it was only that loud for him and not for Abby, too. It took him a moment to organize his thoughts again, quickly thinking about an explanation for that one without drawing too much attention to the fact that he was actually wearing the other man's pullover, too.

"And what does Gibbs smell like exactly?" he finally managed to press out as he ran a hand through his still disheveled hair.

"Like wood, Tony," Abby grinned at him.

"Oh, okay. You have a good nose, then, because I've been at Gibbs' place when Dispatch called him," Tony started to explain, having just cooked up a watertight story.

"On a Saturday? Why?"

"You know why. To talk about things. Weren't you the one that told me to do exactly that?"

Abby stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide and Tony felt something tug at his insides again as he realized that he was once again lying to her, but he knew he had no real choice. Granted, he could just tell her truth, but he was still far too insecure about the relationship with Gibbs to be quite ready to share just yet. His guilty conscience, however, grew even further as he watched Abby giving him a broad smile all of a sudden.

"What did the bossman say?"

Tony shrugged rather helplessly now and averted his glance from her to look at the screen behind her where a picture of the dead woman was shown before he answered slowly.

"Pulled a typical Gibbs, you know. Being all silent and stoic and…"

"Understanding," Abby finished the sentence for him and then engaged him in a tight hug, leaving Tony all breath- and restless inside. "You got your peace of mind about it, then?" she continued, whispering into his ear.

"Yeah, I guess. Talking to Gibbs always helps, doesn't?" he replied and realized that he hadn't even lied about that one because despite everything, the older man was still his rock to hold on to whenever times got rough. That hadn't changed, even if everything else had.

"Yeah," Abby grinned at him as she let go and was about to turn around as something seemed to pop into her head. "Wait. Why did you tell Ziva that you were at home when the case came up?"

Tony let his head drop towards his chest and sighed loudly before he answered. "Why would you two even talk about it?"

"We're women. We talk about everything, Tony. And don't try to deflect me."

"What was I supposed to say?" he answered, once again thinking fast. "Should I have told her that I have nothing better to do on a Saturday than to sit in my boss' basement and talk to him about my love life?"

Abby let out a laugh at that and subtly shook her head, this time actually patting his shoulder.

"Guess not," she slowly answered. "But why _were_ you spending your day off with Gibbs? Boyfriend busy?"

"Were you always that curious?" Tony asked sighing, by now slowly getting fed up with having to lie every single time he opened his mouth. "I just wanted to talk to Gibbs about it, it's as simple as that. But I'd have gone out with him tonight if that's what you wanted to hear from me."

"Yup," Abby giggled and then – finally, finally – turned around and started to talk about their current case.

-x-

They had spent the night at headquarters and Tony was growing crankier with every minute that passed. This wasn't how he had hoped the weekend would turn out at all. He had wanted to spend as much time with Jethro as possible, try to figure out the remaining issues in their relationship and maybe even go to the next level. But now they had been chained to the Navy Yard all day and all night and all they had been able to talk about was the case.

They finally caught a break early on Sunday afternoon, when McGee found a suspicious email from the victim to her husband's step-brother only a day before her untimely death. It seemed like the two of them had entertained themselves pretty good while the husband/brother was stationed in Afghanistan. After a short ride towards the brother's apartment and a relatively easy arrest, Tony was now standing in the observation room together with Ziva and McGee, watching their boss interrogating Mr. Johnson.

"I take it you didn't like that your brother's wife wanted to end that little affair between the two of you?" Gibbs was saying now, staring at their suspect.

"What? No! I did not have an affair with Emily."

"Oh, really?" Gibbs dragged out the word as he rummaged through the papers in front of him until he found the printout of the email where Emily had clearly ended things between them.

"Where d'you find that?" Johnson asked now, leaning back against the backrest of the chair, his face falling.

"Her computer," Gibbs answered. "So, do you still deny that you had an affair with her?"

"No," the suspect replied sullenly. "But that doesn't mean I would just grab my knife, go over there and kill her."

Tony let out a sarcastic bark of a laugh as he leaned his forehead against the window in front of them, exhaustion suddenly rushing over him. They hadn't told the perp how Mrs. Johnson had been killed and therefore he couldn't have known that she had been stabbed to death. He saw Ziva shake her head next to him and Tim sigh behind him. Tony knew without listening to Gibbs' next words that the guy was who they had been looking for. All that was left to do now was type up their reports and then finally go home.

-x-

Tony hadn't even sat down on his couch as he heard a silent knock on his door. Sighing, he stood up again and was slightly surprised when he opened the door because he saw Gibbs standing there, leaning his head and left shoulder against the doorframe.

"Hey," Tony just said and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before he all but pulled him into his apartment. "Didn't expect you so early."

"I hurried up," Gibbs just said, fatigue written all over his face as he flopped down on the couch.

"Cool," Tony replied and settled next to him, pulling an arm around him as he pressed the play button on his remote, already having forgotten what he wanted to watch before.

He felt Gibbs relax into his embrace as he turned his head ever so slightly at the same time that Tony did the exact same thing and only moments later stole his lips. They kissed slowly and lazily at first until he suddenly felt himself being pulled closer as Jethro grabbed him by the collar of the hoodie, looking deep into his eyes. Tony quivered under the intense gaze ever so slightly, realizing that the other man's eyes had become somewhat darker. Another jerk at his collar and this time, taken by surprise, Tony lost his balance and ended up sprawled on top of him. He chuckled into the kiss, but then felt Gibbs shudder under him and he sobered up quickly when he realized that he was pressed against him now. Almost carefully, he ran his hands up the other man's sides before he reached Jethro's face and grasped either side of it as he leaned closer, capturing his lips once again. After a moment of obvious surprise on Jethro's side, he responded and parted his lips ever so slightly to allow Tony's tongue access. Tony felt heat surge up within him and was suddenly hyperaware of the fact that he was _really _close to the other man, but for once it didn't freak him out. On contrary, when another shudder travelled through Jethro's body, Tony sat up for a moment, looking at the other man again, whose cheeks were flushed, his pupils wide and then grabbed the hem of the older guy's shirt and pulled it over his head. He stared at his bare chest for a moment and then started to run his hand up and down his chest, enjoying the way Jethro's skin quivered under his touch. Slowly, he brought his right hand to his abdomen and watched the muscles tense as he lowered his hand even further, letting his fingers play with the waistband of Gibbs' jeans. He leaned into him once again and caught his lips in a searing hot kiss. He felt his heart beat loudly in his chest as he inched his hand even further down, but stopped when Gibbs suddenly ended the kiss and then yawned widely.

Tony stared at him for a moment, trying to decide whether he was supposed to be insulted or whether he should just laugh. He decided for the latter as he sat up again, offering a hand to Gibbs to pull him upright. The other man had joined him in laughing now, his shoulders shaking. Tony just shook his head as he ran a hand over face, trying to sober up.

"I guess we should go to bed, huh?" he asked, when he was finally able to take a breath again.

"Seems like it. Sorry," Gibbs replied and for a moment their eyes locked again.

"All for the best," Tony just said, kissing his cheek. "At least, this time it's not me who wanted to stop."

"Yeah right," Jethro just chuckled and stood up from the couch and was already halfway on his way towards Tony's bedroom when he turned around again, suddenly having a serious expression on his face. "You're not mad, right?"

"What?" Tony answered, catching up on him. "No, of course not. I just hope I'm not that boring, though."

Relief shortly washed over Jethro's face and Tony felt something tug at his insides as he suddenly realized for the first time that the other guy might be just as insecure about all of this as he was.

"Never," Gibbs grinned and yawned widely again. "Just really tired."

"Then, let's go to bed," Tony retorted and grabbed his hand to pull him towards the bed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be rad._


	15. Staggered

_A/N: Thanks for your reviews! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen: Staggered<strong>

Work the next day was boring to say the least. Tony couldn't quite remember a day that had been that unproductive. Ziva, McGee and he had basically just rewritten their reports about the Johnson case from the day before, but Tony had the strong suspicion that Gibbs had only ordered them to do that, so that they had to do at least something. Since lunch, they had basically been browsing through a year-old case where according to a neighbor of the lost officer had seen him around his old house a couple of days ago. Not that they would find anything, but they still had to look into it even though they all knew that it didn't make much sense. Tony's thoughts began to stray around two o'clock. He had started to stare at Ziva for a while, trying to decide how to annoy her the best, but had given up on that after she had simply raised an eyebrow at him only a few seconds after he had started thinking about it, so he had redirected his glance and thoughts to the agent on his right – McGee. Tim was currently resting his chin on his left hand while the other one was scrolling on the mouse. He seemed to be engrossed in reading whatever it was on the screen in front of him, but Tony wasn't fooled. The younger man's eyes weren't moving at all, he wasn't even blinking. Clearly, McGee was hanging in thoughts himself.

Inconspicuously, he scrunched up a few pieces of paper and was just about to throw them at the oblivious guy when he felt a different pair of eyes on him. Wincing internally, Tony averted his glance from Tim to look at Gibbs instead who, not unlike Ziva a few minutes earlier, had raised an eyebrow at him. Tony grinned at him as he let the ball of paper drop onto his own desk. Gibbs just shook his head and then loudly cleared his throat, causing McGee to actually jump as his glance flickered towards their boss. Tony chuckled, but fell silent under Gibbs' stare once again.

"McGee, go out and do yourself the favor and get us all a cup of coffee before you fall asleep and be DiNozzo's victim."

"Huh?" McGee just answered as he scrambled to get away from his desk, apparently grateful for the distraction.

Tony grinned at him and waved at him in what he hoped was an innocent manner. McGee just shook his head and then disappeared towards the elevators. Tony turned towards his own screen now and rubbed his eyes, thinking that he got away easy this time, but of course, only a few moments later, Gibbs continued talking.

"DiNozzo, I take it you have already checked the family's financial records again?"

"N-No, boss," Tony replied flatly and chanced a glance at him.

The other man was looking at him once again, but despite his gruff question, his features were rather relaxed. His eyes were fixed on Tony's for a moment and then flickered towards the screen in front of him. Furrowing a brow, the younger man finally looked away again, leaving him somehow feeling a little bit colder than before. Then, he realized that he had a new message in his email account. He almost chocked when he read the sender's name and his eyes once again strayed towards Gibbs and saw him smirking ever so slightly. Subtly shaking his head, Tony finally clicked on the email and read it.

_Wanna come over tonight?_

Chuckling soundlessly and desperately trying to hide the smile on his face from Ziva who had just looked up, Tony composed an answer.

_Wow, I didn't know you knew how to write an email, boss. I'm impressed, seriously. And yes, I want to come over. Bring a movie and take-out?_

Still feeling slightly amused, Tony picked up his task of going through the missing officer's family's financial accounts while really he was only waiting for an answer from Jethro. It didn't take as long as he thought it would until the pop-up box showed up again.

_Shut up, maybe it's just strategy. I'll grill steaks and there's a basketball game on tonight. Interested?_

Tony replied with a quick '_Deal_' and then internally tried to suppress the jitters that had suddenly taken a hold of his stomach. There wasn't a reason to be nervous, he knew that, but still, as he quickly glanced at Jethro again who was giving him a half-smile, he couldn't help but think that something was vaguely different today.

-x-

Tony entered Gibbs' house a couple of hours later, his overnight bag in his left hand, a six-pack of beer in the other one. He was able to smell the delicious scent of Jethro's steaks as soon as he closed the front-door behind him.

"Hey," he greeted the other man, who was currently squatting in front of the fireplace.

"Hey yourself," came back the immediate answer as he got up and then gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Brought beer," Tony held up the six-pack as he stated the obvious and watched Gibbs' stare reach the bag that he was still clutching in his other hand.

"You came prepared."

"Yeah, I figured if I have to sleep on that damn couch again, I'll at least have something to wear to work tomorrow, so I don't have to get up earlier than strictly necessary."

"Yeah, right," Gibbs just smirked and then went back to his steaks.

-x-

An hour later, Tony had his arm draped around Jethro's shoulder, holding the other man close as they watched the game in relative silence except for an occasional outburst about the blind referees. Tony's nervousness from the afternoon had finally given away to contentment. He knew that he still had to get used to these kinds of evenings because this was something he hadn't done in years, let alone with someone like Gibbs. Everything about this was different and even though it was still new, it felt oddly right at the same time as if they had been doing this for years.

A couple of minutes later, Tony sighed and craned his neck, feeling the tension there.

"You uncomfortable?" Gibbs startled him by asking as he sat up next to him.

"No, not really," Tony replied and smiled at him. "Sitting in front of the computer all day just isn't something that's particularly good for my back, you know."

"Hmm," Gibbs said and then looked at him for a moment before he continued. "Want a massage?"

"Hell yeah."

Gibbs let out a bark of a laugh as he stood up and motioned Tony to lie down on the couch. He did what he was told and then felt Gibbs straddle his thighs. He closed his eyes when Gibbs' hand made contact with his back, squeezing, kneading and moving muscles. He contently sighed when the other man's hand went further south, rubbing small circles into the base of his spine. As time went by, Tony felt himself get almost boneless as he nearly melted into every single touch.

"Mind if you pull off your sweater there? Would make it easier, Tony."

Tony chuckled and then grabbed the hem of his pullover and pulled it over his head, trying to move as little as possible. He lay down again, quickly glancing at the man behind him and saw his eyes travel down his back again.

"Sneaky way to get me naked, you know," Tony teased and was rewarded a very gentle head slap in return.

"Worked," Gibbs answered gruffly before he continued the massage.

Tony felt the other man's hands on his back, getting rid of the knots in his muscles. He hummed as the touches changed into a rather gentle caress a while later and he suddenly was hyperaware of the fact that Gibbs' hands were hot against his skin and that the massage had changed from getting him to lose his tension into something totally different. It was almost sensual as the touches were slow and deliberate now, leaving Tony strangely relaxed and excited at the same time. Gibbs moved his hands further down and his thumbs were brushing against the waistband of Tony's jeans with every stroke and Tony realized that he was aroused by that. He let Gibbs continue his caress for a few minutes, simply enjoying the feeling of his hands on his skin, all over his back and shoulders.

He let out another sigh when Gibbs' movements suddenly stopped and then felt the weight on his thighs disappear. Tony turned around now and couldn't even do as a much as blink his eyes once before Gibbs' lips caught his in a searing hot kiss. Tony responded immediately and pulled the other man down onto himself by the collar of his shirt. They stayed like that for a while, just kissing each other and in Tony's case letting his hand roam over the other man's back. He didn't dare to move his hands further south than the waistband of his jeans. He knew that he probably could, but something still held him back. It didn't seem like Gibbs cared though and Tony felt himself relax even further. He hadn't made out without the goal of getting some since he had been a teenager and it felt strangely right to do so. It was fun just to explore all the other stuff like the fact that Jethro seemed to like it when Tony was nibbling earlobe or sucking at it.

The older man suddenly moved ever so slightly, brushing his cock against Tony's in the course. Tony's stomach became fuzzy in a flash as he realized that the other man was just as hard against him as he was and this realization went straight to his cock that twitched in anticipation. He felt Gibbs smile into his kiss as he moved again, so that they were meeting with shallow and almost desperate thrusts.

Tony felt his heart pick up pace again, but was waiting in vain for the freak-out as this once again felt somehow right. He finally let his hands wander further down and had barely touched Gibbs' butt that the other man stopped dead in his tracks and ended their kiss. He then leaned his forehead against Tony's, breathing heavily. Tony smiled at him, running a hand through the other man's short cropped hair and then sighed when Gibbs got up from the couch.

"You okay?" Tony asked when Gibbs just stood there for a moment and rubbed a hand over his face, looking oddly torn.

"Yeah," he replied quietly. "Just… I really want to take it slow. That's okay, right?"

"Of course," Tony replied, standing up and squeezed the other man's shoulder before giving him a broad smile.

"Good," Jethro's smile in reply was genuine. "'Cause you're making it pretty hard."

"Me?" Tony laughed, shaking his head. "If I remember correctly it was you that started all of this."

"Sure," Gibbs dragged out the word and then kissed him almost tenderly. "Come on," he continued and the torn expression was back on his face. "I want to show you something."

"Uh, what is it?" Tony asked excitedly, letting himself be dragged up the stairs.

"Remember when I told you I had a surprise for you?"

"Yeah, totally forgot about it, too."

"Figured. Otherwise you'd have tormented me about it all week."

"You bet," Tony grinned, but sobered up pretty quickly when Gibbs cameto a stop in front of the door to his bedroom.

"Go ahead," the older man nudged him and Tony followed his order and opened the door in front of them.

He was greeted by a rather stoic room, basically just a bed and a wardrobe was in there. Furrowing a brow, Tony turned around to look at Jethro again who had a previously unknown insecurity written all over his face. He stared at him for a moment before Tony realized what this was all about. Once again, he turned around took look at the bed more closely and realized that there were fresh sheets put on it. Tony felt his pulse rush loudly through his ears as he went over there and almost carefully sat down on the mattress. Only then did he dare to look at Gibbs again.

"Does this mean what I think it means?"

A shadow of a smile ghosted over Jethro's face and Tony realized that the other man was all but sure about this and yet, he had offered it to him anyhow.

"Yeah," Gibbs finally replied quietly as he sat down next to him. "I didn't want to hear you complain about my couch anymore."

"Thanks," Tony said and took his hand. "But you don't need to do this if you're not sure or not ready or whatever. You told me that sleeping in here is a big deal for you and I respect that. I'm perfectly fine with the couch, too. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it, Tony. And you're right, the couch's not good for two grown men. It'll be fine."

"And you're really sure about this, Jethro?"

"Yup."

Tony felt his stomach once again getting all fuzzy as he stared into the other man's face and was able to see the determination in his eyes. Squeezing his hand, Tony leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek and was relieved when Gibbs promptly smiled at him. He couldn't help but return the gesture before he let his back drop onto the mattress.

"Yeah, this will work," he smirked when Gibbs mirrored his action.

Tony let out a sigh as he reached out his hand and ran it through the other man's hair. Gibbs closed his eyes and hummed quietly before he turned his head ever so slightly to look into Tony's eyes. They stayed like that for a very long time until the younger man finally cleared his throat and leaned closer again, giving him a kiss on the lips before he whispered softly.

"Thank you."

-x-

Work the next day was almost the same as the day before. With one exception: Tony felt oddly rested, felt oddly uplifted inside whenever his thoughts would reach Gibbs. They had shared Gibbs' bed for the first time and even though they had done nothing except falling asleep in each other's arms, this was all what Tony could have hoped for. They had already made plans for tonight which included going out for dinner and then watching a movie at Tony's apartment. A bit of his before overwhelming uncertainty had finally disappeared from his mind. While he had been lying in Gibbs' bed late last night, Tony had realized that the other man actually was very serious about their relationship and he felt slightly less queasy about the thought of exploring it even further. He knew that there would be more things that they had to discuss and to figure out, but he was weirdly hopeful by now that he would maybe not mess it up for once and make it work with time.

Gibbs' phone interrupted his train of thought. He watched his boss listen to the caller's remarks before he hung up again.

"Come on, people. Abby might have found something on our cold case."

A few minutes later, they were standing in front of the big screen, listening to Abby's excited speech about how she and Jones had found the missing link to their puzzle. The officer hadn't disappeared without any trace after all. A photo from an ATM machine somewhere in Virginia showed him withdrawing money less than a month ago. The account was under a different name and held almost a million dollars, but they now had something to work on again.

"Impressive," Tony said now as he turned around to look at Abby and her assistant. "Must admire the guy for vanishing like that, leaving next to no traces and then just reappear a year later, only a few miles from where he was last seen."

"The guy has cheated almost a million dollar out of his insurance, DiNozzo, nothing impressive about it," Gibbs replied sternly and gave Tony a rather hurtful slap upside the head.

Tony just wanted to complain as he got sight of Jones in front of him. The kid's eyes had gone wide all of a sudden as his glance was fixed on Tony's face and then, almost as if he had been electrocuted, he cast down his eyes to stare at his feet instead, but Tony didn't miss the flush that had spread on his cheeks. He tried to figure out what had the kid off kilter like that all of a sudden when Blake looked up again, his mouth slightly hanging open as his eyes followed Gibbs, who was now walking out of the lab with Ziva and McGee in tow. An uncomfortable feeling spread in Tony's stomach and he realized that it felt suspiciously like the one he had had when he had first met the kid.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat when he remembered what Jones had seen that day in the parking lot that had led him to behave like that towards him. But it wasn't the kiss that made Tony's cheeks flush to crimson now. No, it was the realization that Blake had apparently just connected the dots in his head. The kid was staring at him like the often-cited deer in the headlights now as Tony shook his head, remembering that Gibbs had head slapped him that day after he had kissed him. Blake hadn't recognized him back then, but he had now. Tony felt his blood drain from his face in a split second as he got a grasp on the possible consequences of this discovery. And in fact, Blake had just opened his mouth when Gibbs ended their staring match by barking at Tony.

"Get moving, DiNozzo, we don't have all day."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Hope you liked it! Feedback would be nice, too ;)_


	16. Spilled

_A/N: Thanks again for your awesome reviews! :) Hope you like this chapter just as much! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen: Spilled<strong>

Tony reluctantly looked away from Blake, his mind still reeling and slowly followed the others towards the elevators. Just as he was about to step in there, he stopped short and looked at Gibbs, who was currently all but glaring at him, for a moment.

"Uh, Boss," Tony finally pressed out, trying to get eye-contact. "I just remembered I forgot something in my car… in the parking lot. I'll just get it now, okay?"

Gibbs met his stare for a moment and Tony saw him furrowing a brow before his eyes suddenly widened ever so slightly and the younger man was sure that the bossman had gotten the message. Only a second later, Gibbs nodded and Tony stepped out of the elevator again.

"Hurry up."

"I will," Tony replied and then the doors closed into his face.

Trying to somewhat regain his composure, he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath before he turned around and went back into the lab. Thankfully, Abby was just on her way down towards Autopsy and Jones was alone in there, typing away on one of the computers. Tony loudly cleared his throat and patted down the pockets of his suit as if he was searching for something, but in fact he was just procrastinating having to look at the kid.

"What's up?" Blake asked now, his tone light, but as Tony finally spared him a glance, he was able to see that he was still flushed to crimson.

"Uhm," Tony started off, once again running a hand through his hair as if it would calm down his thundering heart beat. "I'm not mistaken when I think that you… uh… know whom I was kissing the other day… in the parking lot?"

The kid remained silent, his gaze fixed on Tony for once. He could nearly hear the wheels turning in his head, but then after a long moment of quietness, he finally nodded and answered.

"Yes, I… I think so."

Tony nodded and stepped forwards so that he was face to face to Blake, trying do his best Gibbs-glare impression, but wasn't entirely sure it was actually working because the kid just looked at him warily but not the least afraid.

"I don't need to tell you," Tony started talking again, but again his voice held nothing threatening as he had barely spoken above a whisper, making it sound like he was pleading. "That you shouldn't go around telling people about that, right?"

Blake audibly gulped now, but didn't avert his eyes. In fact, he had just opened his mouth to retort something when another voice traveled into the lab, making Tony actually take a step back.

"What the hell are you doing, Tony?"

He turned his head so fast that his neck made a nasty cracking sound, but he didn't care. Abby had just re-entered her lab and was now standing there, her hands on her hips, alternately looking from Blake to Tony.

"N-Nothing," Tony spluttered after a few moments of heavy silence.

"Doesn't look like it," Abby replied, raising an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Blake?"

"Yeah," the young man hurried to reply and stepped away from Tony even further.

"Tony?" Abby probed and he felt his heart sink at the death glare that she was shooting at him at the moment.

He knew that he had gone too far with threatening the kid, but it was not like it had even worked. But he also knew that he owed the Goth an explanation, especially after everything she had done for him those last couple of days. Tony sighed, rubbed a hand over his face and then finally answered.

"Look Abby, can I talk to you after work? There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay," she slowly answered, confusion clearly noticeable in her voice. "But what has this to do with Blake?"

"It doesn't," Tony replied and turned around to look at her assistant again before he continued. "Sorry, I was out of line."

"It's okay," Blake said surprisingly calm and for a split of a second, Tony was sure that the kid actually understood and he felt as if a rock was falling off his chest as he continued. "And don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone."

"Tell anyone about what?" Abby cut through Tony's relief and with a sinking heart, he turned towards her again.

She was staring at him now, confusion and annoyance clearly written all over her face but it quickly changed into anxiety as she apparently saw the look on Tony's face.

"What has happened?"

"Nothing, Abs," Tony hurried to explain. "I just need to tell you stuff, but right now isn't exactly the time or the place. I'll come down here after work, okay?"

"Okay and you're sure there's nothing I need to worry about?"

"Absolutely nothing."

-x-

When Tony arrived in the bullpen a couple of minutes later, he was surprised by the fact that there was only Gibbs sitting at his desk, his expression unreadable.

"Where's everyone?" Tony asked and realized that his voice was on the verge of cracking all of a sudden.

Gibbs looked up at him for a moment and then got up and nodded his head towards the elevators. Tony got the clue and followed him.

"Sent them out to pick up our petty officer. We just got a hit on the cell phone that he purchased a couple of days ago."

"Okay," was all Tony was able to reply before the elevator came to an abrupt stop due to Gibbs flicking the emergency switch.

"What's wrong?" the older man then asked, his head cocked to his left side ever so slightly.

"Blake knows," Tony replied and he heard Gibbs' sharp intake of breath.

"You talked to him?"

"Tried. Abby interrupted though. But he said he'd keep his mouth shut."

"Okay," Gibbs slowly answered and reached out his hand as if to take Tony's, but refrained in the end. "What do you mean, Abby interrupted?"

"Walked in on us. She didn't hear anything, but I told her that I'd talk to her after work."

"Okay," the older man repeated himself and this time he actually took Tony's hand in his. "What do you want to tell her?"

Tony let out a sigh and increased the pressure on Jethro's hand for a moment before he made eye-contact.

"I have to tell her."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, if that's okay with you," he paused for a moment, but Gibbs didn't interrupt. "I just… I feel so bad about lying to her all the time. She doesn't deserve it. I really don't want to tell her because, well, this is all so new and stuff, but I can't keep lying. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gibbs answered automatically and then stared at him for what seemed to be a very long time before he nodded.

"Okay, tell her."

"Are you sure?" Tony asked and he felt that tiny little piece of hope die inside of him that had told him that maybe Gibbs wasn't alright with telling her and thus that he, Tony, wouldn't need to have that conversation after all.

"No, I'm not," Gibbs answered in such distress that the younger man had to bite back a really inappropriate laugh.

"Good because I'm not sure either. But I think it's the right thing to do."

"I know, Tony," the other man replied so quietly that Tony unconsciously leaned closer to him and rested his forehead against his.

-x-

Tony rubbed the back of his head after the fourth or fifth head slap of the day. He briefly glared at his boss, but knew that he was right – of course, he was always right. Tony hadn't been able to concentrate at all ever since the two of them had stepped out of the elevator. His thoughts kept drifting towards Abby, then towards Gibbs kissing him in the parking lot and then back to Abby, so that he hadn't been able to quite follow their current case. Petty Officer Wolf – or Marc Roberts as he had called himself over that last year – had been brought in and was currently stewing in interrogation.

Tony turned towards Gibbs with a 'Not going to happen again, Boss', though he didn't even know what he was apologizing for. The bossman just subtly shook his head, but didn't explain anything before he left the observation room and stepped into interrogation a few moments later.

"Everything alright with you, Tony?" McGee interrupted his inner queries.

"Yeah," he dismissed it with a wave of his hand and a fake smile, which apparently fooled no one, so he continued. "Just feeling a little under the weather, that's all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, McConcern. Totally fine."

Luckily, Gibbs chose that exact moment to address the petty officer in the other room, so that McGee let the topic drop for the moment, making Tony feel only more restless. He had to get a grip on himself soon or otherwise Ziva and McGee would pick up on the fact that something was not alright with him at all, that he was about to spill the most important secret of all. Almost forcefully, he guided his glance and his thoughts towards the interrogation going on in the other room in order to keep his head in the game, distract himself and avoid more head slaps.

-x-

Never before had Tony looked forward and dreaded the end of another work day like today. He had finally managed to clear his head somewhat to write a report about their cold case that had turned hot and then the relatively fast closure of it. When first McGee and then Ziva had left the office, Tony felt his heart pick up pace again as he knew that he couldn't delay the talk with Abby any longer. He looked around, but Gibbs was nowhere in sight at the moment as he was apparently still up in the director's office. Sighing and internally bracing himself, Tony stood up and slowly made his way down to Abby.

"Hey Abs," he greeted her as soon as the doors closed behind him.

Oddly enough, there was no music blaring for once and Tony stepped closer towards her. She was sitting in front of one of her computers, her chin resting on her hands, staring at the blank screen in front of her. She only turned when Tony sat down next to her.

"Can we talk now?" Tony asked and once again his voice didn't sound quite alright, didn't sound quite like his own.

"Sure," Abby replied rather coldly. "Why don't you start explaining to me why in the world were you threatening Blake?"

"I didn't threaten him," he answered, knowing that he kind of had. "I didn't mean to," he finally continued, his voice quiet.

"Okay," Abby cut him off, her eyes still boring into his. "Then why did you?"

Tony stared at her for a moment, trying to get his pulse back to normal and the blush from his cheeks, but before he could even answer, the door swished open once again and no other than Gibbs appeared.

"To protect us," the older man stated in answer to Abby's question.

Furrowing a brow, Abby turned to look at Gibbs at the same time that Tony did, his mouth slightly hanging open as he hadn't expected Jethro to join him down there.

"Us… as in?" Abby finally managed to ask, her gaze never settling on either Gibbs or Tony.

"Tony and me."

There was silence for a few long moments as Abby apparently tried to process what Gibbs had just said. Tony chose that moment to avert his glance from Abby for once to look at Jethro, whose cheeks were slightly flushed and he had that slightly uncertain expression on his face again, very similar to the one he had worn just the day before when he had offered Tony to sleep in his bed. Tony had to restrain himself to stand up now and walk over to him and take his hand or pull an arm around him. He really wanted at least some physical contact, but knew at the same time that they had to talk to Abby first. So, he tried to give him a smile in the meantime, but wasn't entirely sure whether or not the corners of his mouth actually twitched. Gibbs just nodded curtly in response and Tony realized with a start that he was probably just as nervous as he was.

"So," Abby finally replied, dragging out the word as if to buy herself some time. "What does this mean? Because it can't be what I think it is, right?"

Tony looked at Gibbs once again and got an encouraging nod this time, so he hesitantly answered her question.

"It's exactly what you think. The man that Blake saw me kissing the other day was Gibbs."

Abby let out a breath and Tony felt the blood drain out of his own face as he watched her getting paler by the second. He heard Jethro move closer more than he actually saw it and let out a sigh when the older man squatted down in front of Abby, two finger getting a hold of her chin to make her look at him.

"Abs?" he then probed and Tony was sure by now that the other two could hear his pulse just as loudly as he heard it rushing through his ears.

"Wow," she finally said, her eyes flickering between the two of them. "I mean, seriously, wow. You're not kidding, right?"

"Would never kid about something like that, Abs," Gibbs replied so seriously that Tony felt his heart skip a beat.

"But… I mean, why didn't you tell me earlier? I wouldn't have said anything."

The words were spoken rather coldly and were once again directed at Tony. He gulped, ran a hand through his hair then moved ever so slightly, so that his thigh was touching Jethro's shoulder before he answered.

"I didn't know how, okay? I know, it's no excuse and I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. It just… I… I mean we never planned on having to tell anyone so soon about anything. But then, Blake saw us and I kind of freaked and I didn't know if Jethro would be okay with me telling you without asking him first but then, there was this whole gigantic lie already out there and I know it's wrong, but I really thought that keeping everyone in the dark for a while would be the way to go. I know, it's not fair and I'm really, really sorry I didn't tell you. Please, don't be mad at me?"

Tony shut up now as he realized that he was babbling. He turned his head ever so slightly and saw Gibbs give him a barely noticeable half-smile and it calmed him down a notch. He averted his glance in order to look at their forensic scientist and was somewhat relieved that she had gotten a bit of her color back.

"I'm not mad, I guess," she finally replied and Tony let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding. "Just surprised. I didn't see that one coming. Though, I guess, it makes sense. You two are very much alike in many ways, more than you probably realize. But never mind. This is just weird."

"Is the thought of Tony and me bothering you?" Gibbs asked and now there was definitely uncertainty in his voice.

"No, no," Abby replied indignantly. "Of course not. I'm just surprised you actually made that step. I mean I'm happy for you, really I am. It's just a lot of information right now."

"I get that, Abby," Tony replied and reached out his hands to take hers and was relieved that she actually accepted it.

"You can ask us anything you want, okay? Whenever you're ready. And you're sure you're not mad at me?"

"Yeah, I am. Sure, you should have told me earlier, but I understand your reasons. I'm sure you have a lot to process yourself. I mean, even I got a lot to process, so I probably can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like being you right now… Sorry, I'm babbling. But I mean it, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs said softly and stood up, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Yeah, thank you," Tony agreed and squeezed her hand before he stood up, too.

They were already halfway out the door, when Abby spoke up again.

"Hey Tony, when you said I could ask anything. Does that include the dirty stuff, too?"

He let out a laugh, somewhat relieved that she seemed more than her usual self now, but felt himself blush furiously at the same time. As he was still pondering how to answer that question without feeling too ridiculous, Gibbs surprisingly replied for him.

"We're not even there yet. And even if we were, Abs, you don't need to know everything."

"Sure I do," she answered excitedly. "I need some tidbits to survive not being allowed to tell anyone."

This time it was Gibbs' turn to snort in amusement as he basically just dismissed it with a wave of his hand and then he and Tony were out the door. They spent the elevator ride up to the bullpen and the walk down into the parking lot in relative silence until they reached Gibbs' car.

"This went better than expected," Tony finally opened his mouth in a pathetic attempt to joke, but Gibbs gave him a half-smile anyway.

"Uh-huh. Why didn't you tell me you were going down to tell her? I wanted to be there, too, you know."

"Oh," Tony replied, rubbing the back of his head. "You never said so. I just figured it was my mess."

"How?" Gibbs asked him somewhat indignantly. "If I remember correctly I was the one who kissed you that day. And I'd like to think that we're in this relationship together, so that made this as much my mess as it was yours. You don't have to deal with stuff like that alone, you got that?"

Tony felt a smile spread on his own face as he realized that Gibbs really meant what he had just said and that the guy actually cared, too. He was about to give him a kiss, to reassure himself even more, but realized that they probably shouldn't make the same mistake twice. So he just kept on smiling at him, receiving one of those rare fully grown smiles in return.

"Hey," Tony finally replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he was rather reluctant to break that moment they had shared just now. "I know we wanted to go out to dinner tonight, but can we take a rain check on that? 'Cause all I want to do now is, go home and cuddle up in bed with you. Is that stupid?"

"Not stupid at all, Tony," Gibbs replied, still smiling at him. "My place or yours?"

"Yours," he answered cheekily. "We don't want those new sheets to go to waste, do we?"

"Guess, we don't."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews = Love... and today's Valentine's Day, so... xD_


	17. Started

_A/N: Slightly later than usual, but here's the next chapter! :) Thanks for your reviews (and I promise to try to reply to each of you individually) and I hope you like this one!_

_Also a small warning... the M-Rating's there for a reason xD  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: Started<strong>

Tony couldn't remember when they had actually fallen asleep that night. True to his word, Jethro had just insisted to go to bed and cuddle. They had been lying there for a long time, just talking about the best way to handle the whole Abby-situation without really coming to a conclusion as the Goth was unpredictable anyway. They would just play it by ear. He had voiced his concerns about her not being able to keep it to herself, but Gibbs was positive that she could do it because she knew how much was on the line for the two of them. The thought of Vance firing one of them had suddenly crossed Tony's mind and it had taken a long while until Gibbs had been able to soothe him. He still had no idea how the guy was able to do that, but with just a single word, a brush through Tony's hair and the mellowing heartbeat under the fabric of his shirt, he had been able to relax him again. He chose not to question it as it had prevented a lot of freak-outs lately.

So, when Tony woke up very early the next morning, he couldn't help but sigh happily as he realized that he was still tightly wrapped in Jethro's arms, his head on the older man's chest. He began to trail soft patterns on the other man's stomach, watching the muscles jump ever so slightly under his touch and yet, Gibbs didn't wake up, instead he was still breathing evenly, apparently content to stay like that for a little while longer.

Once again sighing, Tony nestled up to Gibbs' chest, letting the warmth, that the other man was providing, wash over him. He felt the slightly tingly feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realized that this felt right, like he was meant to be exactly there. He hadn't felt like that in a very long time, being at the right place at the right time, causing his heart to actually skip a beat or two. He resumed trailing his thumb over the fabric of Gibbs' shirt until he heard the other man sigh and he turned his head, so that his chin was resting on the other man's chest.

Jethro's eyes flickered opened and he blinked a few times before focusing on Tony, who gave him a broad smile in return, reached up and gave him a good morning kiss. To his surprise, Gibbs didn't back away from him after a few moments and instead let him kiss him awake thoroughly. Tony had himself propped up on his arms on either side of the other man's body as he deepened the kiss, all the while trying to ignore the still tingly feeling in his gut. Jethro kissed him back, sliding his lips apart to let Tony's tongue enter. The continued to kiss each other lazily and without any intention to stop any time soon. Jethro brought his hands to Tony's back and let them roam up and down there. Smelling the faint scent of Old Spice and coffee still lingering on the man, Tony briefly wondered how long he would have to go without drinking it so that he wouldn't smell like it all the time. Warmth spread all over his body as Gibbs increased the pressure on his back a bit to draw him closer. He felt a strange and yet oddly comfortable feeling starting to creep up from his stomach to his arms, stopping only when it had reached his chest as if it should have been there the whole time. His heart once again picked up pace as he leaned in closer to kiss him even more thoroughly.

After a while, he felt Jethro's fingers working on the hem of his shirt and he sat up for a moment, straddling the older man's thigh to help him get rid of the shirt. He looked down and saw him smiling at him ever so slightly before Jethro's eyes flickered towards his bare chest. Self-consciously, Tony tried to lean down again, but the other man stopped him as his hands came to rest on his chest. He trailed his fingers down Tony's collarbone, combing through the hair there and leaving goose bumps in their wake. Tony shivered ever so slightly as the fingers of Gibbs' right hand found his nipple and pinched it, making it hard instantly. The older man sat up now and got rid of his own shirt before his hands came around Tony's waist as he drew him closer once again. Tony was breathing shallowly by now as he felt his cock press hard against Gibbs'. He couldn't even tell when this, what had started as a simple kiss, had turned them into a mess of limbs and touches.

They started to kiss in earnest now as Tony let his hands wander over Gibbs's naked chest, trailing along the other man's strong arms. He had him pinned on the bed again, had started to kiss his way from Jethro's lips to his jaw and was now nipping softly at his neck, eliciting a low growl from the other man. Encouraged even further, Tony took both of Jethro's hands and interlaced his fingers with his own as he stopped kissing him for a moment to look at him instead. Gibbs met his gaze without hesitation, his eyes somewhat hooded and Tony realized with a start that the normally icy blue eyes had become darker as the pupils were widened. A faint blush had crept onto his cheeks, too, and Tony almost involuntarily smiled at him as he realized that this was all his doing.

"What do you want me to do?" he finally whispered and effectively broke their moment as he let his eyes flicker towards Gibbs' mouth again.

"Keep doing this," Gibbs just replied equally quiet before he caught his lips again.

Letting go, Tony's hands came up until they grasped both sides of Gibbs' face and he leaned in, capturing Jethro's lips. He felt the heat spread inside of him even further when Gibbs met his shallow thrusts with his own. Breaking their kiss again to somewhat gather his thoughts, Tony let his head drop to Jethro's shoulder, while his left hand was softly trailing down the other man's side and finally came to a stop on his hip. Jethro let out a guttural noise that caused Tony to smile against the other man's skin. He felt Jethro's erratic pulse that matched his own against his cheek and he slowly let his hand wander from his hip to his groin. He half expected that Gibbs would stop him, but he just let out another low growl once again and turned his head ever so slightly to kiss him. Tony responded with enthusiasm, while his hand fiddled with the waistband of Jethro's boxer shorts now. Smiling into the kiss, he let his fingers slip under it and chuckled ever so slightly when Jethro stopped moving altogether.

"I can stop," he whispered and looked into the other man's eyes again, but he just shook his head and let out a shaky breath.

"Don't."

"Okay," Tony smiled at him again and propped himself up on his right arm to keep most of his weight off of him as he trailed unknown patterns on Jethro's skin all the while moving further down. As he grazed the other man's cock for the first time, his heart stuttered for a moment and he felt the pulse rush loudly through his ears. He then carefully wrapped his hand around the hard cock, desperately trying to keep himself from shaking. Jethro groaned again, loudly this time, and wiggled his hips. Getting the clue, Tony helped him get rid of his boxers and then brushed his fingers over the head of his cock. He looked up into Gibbs' face for a moment, making sure that all of this was still alright with the other man, but he had his eyes closed as he obviously enjoyed the touch.

Placing a soft kiss on his flushed cheek and taking a deep breath, Tony wrapped his fingers around his length and carefully began to stroke him. He was rewarded a shudder that traveled through the other man's body and finally Jethro opened his eyes again. Tony found the reassurance that he needed in them and continued stroking him. After a while, he felt Jethro begin to thrust up into his hand, which in turn made Tony's boxers suddenly a lot tighter at the mere thought that he was giving the other man exactly what he wanted. Tony ran his free hand up the other man's chest, enjoying the way his skin quivered under his every touch. He watched the muscles tense as he let his hand travel down again and then let his fingers skim the hot skin of Jethro's balls. Arching his back, the other man groaned once again and Tony increased the speed of his strokes.

"Tony…," Jethro all but growled as he met Tony's touch with another thrust of his hips.

The younger man just gave him a smile, not even sure whether or not the guy could actually see it, but he didn't really care. He could tell that he was apparently close to coming, judging from the flush over his chest, the breaths that came out ragged and the way the thrusting of hips had lost all its rhythm. Mere seconds after that particular realization, he felt Jethro's cock pulsing and then he erupted all over Tony's hand and his stomach. Still panting heavily, he drew Tony closer and kissed him fiercely, leaving him oddly breathless. He felt the older man's body under him tremble ever so slightly when he moved to lie down next to him.

"That alright?" he finally asked when he was sure that the other man had caught his breath again.

"Yeah," Gibbs just replied and ran a hand through Tony's hair before it came to rest on the back of his head to pull him into a kiss again.

Tony grinned, feeling oddly relieved that the other man had obviously enjoyed what he had been doing and that he hadn't been as clumsy as he had feared he would be. He moved closer to Jethro as he kissed him again and was slightly startled when his felt his own hardness pressing into the other man's thigh. Jethro pulled away ever so slightly to look at him, an eyebrow raised. Tony just nodded almost feverishly and by the time he realized what Gibbs was about to do, it was already too late.

He let out a groan when Jethro reached down to palm him through his underwear. He started to kiss him again, but Tony found it hard to return the favor because every single one of Jethro's touches left him feeling like he was on fire. He let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like whine when the older man started to stroke him lightly through his boxers.

"Jethro," he pressed out and pulled away from their kiss to look more closely at him.

Gibbs just smiled at him and then tried to pull off Tony's boxers, but was unsuccessful because his hands had suddenly started to shake. Tony grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"You don't need to," he whispered and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek.

Tony's heart was still beating furiously and he was painfully hard by now, but he wouldn't push the other man. If he wasn't ready for it yet, he simply wasn't ready and Tony wouldn't make him do stuff he didn't want to do. Gibbs looked at him for a long moment, his blue eyes locking into Tony's green ones before he took a deep breath and shook his head.

"No, I want to," was all he said before he leaned into Tony again, capturing his lips in a searing hot kiss that sent shivers down his spine.

He resumed the task of pulling Tony's boxers off and Tony let out a gasp as he felt Jethro's hand wrap around his cock. He couldn't help but moan and Gibbs looked up at him with something similar to a smile before he moved his hand up and down. His eyes never left Tony's, causing the younger man's heart beat to speed up even more as he realized that Jethro didn't want to miss any change of mind. Tony just returned the smile and felt himself getting closer to the edge with every stroke and with every moment that the other man just kept on looking at him with that expression, even though he couldn't even place it. All he knew was that when Jethro moved his hand faster and rubbed his thumb over the tip, Tony grabbed him at the back of his head and kissed him until he had to let go. Pleasant shivers ran down his spine and he had to suppress a shout when he felt himself tense up and come. His cum spilled across Jethro's hand and both of their stomachs and he had suddenly trouble catching his breath, but as he looked up at Jethro again, he was finally able to place the look on his face. The way the guy had his head tilted ever so slightly and the way he was smiling broadly at him for once, told Tony that he actually cared and that he had probably been just as afraid and curious about this whole thing as Tony had been.

"This was great," Tony finally spoke up again, causing Gibbs to chuckle ever so slightly as he placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Yeah," he just whispered and Tony, for once, knew exactly what Jethro was feeling right at that moment.

-x-

Tony had found it hard to concentrate on work that day. First, his thoughts had constantly strayed towards Jethro's touches early that morning, leaving him all tingly inside and flushed at the mere thought of it. Luckily, they had only worked on cold cases that day so that he had easily been able to hide his distraction by staring blankly at the screen in front of him as if he was re-reading the old case report. But then, shortly after lunch, a whole different kind of distraction had shown up in the form of instant messages from Abby. He had known of course that the scientist wouldn't leave them to their privacy, but still, he hadn't quite been prepared for it. He had tried to evade the burning questions by not answering at first, pretending to be busy. But then he had gotten a not at all friendly short message on his cell and had finally answered a couple of her questions about how, when and where their relationship had started.

He had known that he owed it to her to answer those questions after all the lies he had told her over those last couple of weeks and he really didn't want to disappoint her even more. He had, however, blocked the more intimate questions. That really wasn't any of Abby's business and he still wasn't comfortable to share information about his sex life. He had never had problems with that in his life before, but it was so different this time and he knew that he wanted to make it right for once and that did include not telling people about that kind of stuff. But her questions had still thrown him off course a bit, causing him to be overly relieved when it had finally been time to go home that day.

-x-

Tony watched the first snow since that fateful snow storm a couple of weeks ago fall slowly towards the ground in front of his window. It looked beautiful, but his attention snapped towards entirely different things as he heard a soft knock on his apartment door. He hurried to open it, knowing that it was most likely Gibbs. And sure enough, there he was standing, a pizza box under his arm. He let him, stole a quick kiss and then led him towards the living-room where his couch and a couple of beers were already waiting for them. They ate in relative silence, but it wasn't awkward at all. The looks that Jethro kept on throwing him from time to time were enough to make Tony all giddy inside again and every time he just smiled back at him, knowing that he didn't need to use his words to let Gibbs know how much exactly he enjoyed a simple evening like that.

They had finally settled on watching an old western movie and Tony was curled up in Gibbs' arms once again. Half an hour into the movie, however, Tony felt himself losing his battle to the drowsiness as the events of the day finally caught up on him. He savored in the warmth that the other man was providing and let himself drift to sleep shortly after Gibbs had almost tenderly kissed his temple.

-x-

His sleep was rudely interrupted by his phone ringing incessantly in the middle of the night. Not opening his eyes, he blindly fumbled for the offending device and finally was able to grab it. He cleared his throat, trying to make sure that his voice didn't sound as if he was straight out of bed, before he pressed the button to answer it. He had already opened his mouth to speak as a strong hand suddenly wrestled the cell out of his hand. Tony turned around and stared at Gibbs for a moment before he felt his eyes grow wide. He hurried to hand the phone over to him.

"Gibbs," the older man finally said into the receiver.

Tony felt his heart beat a mile a minute as he realized that he had just been about to answer Gibbs' phone in the middle of the night. He heard Gibbs grunt more than he actually talked to the person on the other end before he hung up. He sat up on the couch and then eyed him rather suspiciously as he ran a tired hand through his hair.

"What the hell, DiNozzo? Would have a lot of explaining to do to McGee if you had answered it."

"Sorry, Lucy," Tony smirked despite himself before he continued more seriously. "Thought it was mine."

"I know, but be more careful next time," Gibbs just replied and Tony realized that he wasn't really mad at him after all. "We have to get up, new case."

"Damn," Tony just said as he got up, stretching himself and ignoring the sharp pain that erupted somewhere at his back as a reminder of why he didn't like to sleep on the couch.

He slowly went into his bedroom, changed into jeans and a shirt before he grabbed Jethro's comfy black hoodie and slipped it on. Suddenly, he felt strong hands encircle his waist from behind and let himself be drawn into the embrace. Gibbs placed a soft kiss on the nape of his neck before he let him go again.

"How come you're wearing casual stuff tonight? Thought you liked your suits."

"I do," Tony replied as he grabbed his backpack and keys. "But Abby told me the other day that I look hotter this way. So here I am."

Gibbs let out a laugh and clapped him on the shoulder. "Just for the record. I do like my sweater on you, too."

"Duly noted," Tony replied and quickly kissed him before he closed the door behind them, heading into yet another day of work.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Let me know what you think, please! :)_


	18. Mistaken

_A/N: Aaaand once again, thank you so much for your reviews! :) Slightly delayed this time, but here's the next chapter! Hope you like it!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen: Mistaken<strong>

Tony still wasn't quite awake when they arrived at the crime scene half an hour later. The victim was twenty-eight-year old Petty Officer Jordan Martin who had apparently been shot in the head from a short distance. It was likely that he had known his killer as there were no signs of a break-in on his apartment door. After checking out the crime scene, Tony was ordered to talk to the elderly neighbor who had called the cops after she had heard the gunshot going off. She hadn't seen anything or anyone, but was able to provide the information that the late Marine had had a lot of loud arguments recently with what she thought was one of his ex-girlfriends. According to the neighbor, they had mostly been fighting about severe trust issues. She had given Tony a description, a first name and had promised to stop by at the Navy Yard for a sketch before he returned to the crime scene, secretly dreaming about a gigantic cup of coffee. Luckily, the team and Ducky were already packing up their stuff and were ready to go back to the office.

"You got anything?" Gibbs asked as Tony turned to grab his own backpack.

"Possible ex-girlfriend - a woman named Dora - but that's about it."

"Okay," Gibbs nodded. "Your typical spouse angle again, huh?"

Tony just grinned at him, receiving a rather sardonic smile in return.

-x-

Later that day, it was already in the afternoon, they still didn't have much to go on. They had found an unusual high amount of money in one of Martin's bank accounts, especially considering his salary. He had also frequently taken trips all across the country, but had never stayed at one place longer than two days. Tony was still trying to find the common thread of the destinations, when Abby came running into the bullpen, a rather satisfied smile on her lips.

"I got her," she exclaimed, expectantly looking at Gibbs.

"Got who?"

"Dora, the ex-girlfriend. I've found pictures, newspaper articles and all kinds of stuff on his laptop and it matches the neighbor's description of her. Just got a hit and it turns out she's definitely not his ex-girlfriend. They have the same last name and…"

"Wife?" McGee interrupted her, but fell silent under Abby's glare.

"Nope, sister."

"My sister, my daughter," Tony quipped, earning himself a grin from Abby and a sharp look from both Ziva and Gibbs.

"Ziva, McGee," Gibbs ordered after a moment, "bring her in. DiNozzo, if you're done quoting movies, I want every information about her you can find."

-x-

It turned out to be impossible to bring Dora in. She had gone missing three days previously without a trace, making the case even more mysterious as it already was. Her husband had been in distress when they went to talk to him, clearly shaken by her disappearance and sad about his brother's-in-law death, but unfortunately hadn't been able to provide more information.

Swallowing the last drop of his coffee, Tony stood up from where he had been sitting behind his desk and stretched himself. It was already after ten o'clock at night, he was more than tired and his stomach was rumbling uncomfortably by now. As if having read his thoughts, Gibbs took that exact moment to break the silence in the bullpen.

"Tony, go grab us something to eat and some coffee, will you?"

"Yes, Chinese, please?" Ziva all but begged and Tony nodded at her.

He cast a quick glance at McGee, who merely shrugged, before he turned to look at Gibbs, who was staring at him with the smallest of smiles on his lips as he nodded. Tony felt his stomach make a jolt and was sure that the lack of food hadn't been the reason for that one.

"Fine by me," Gibbs answered the unasked question and Tony grabbed his wallet, internally going through the menu, trying to decide what to eat.

-x-

Seven hours later, Tony all but dragged himself down towards Abby's lab. He had tried to catch some sleep in his chair in the bullpen, but sleep wouldn't have him as his back reminded him once again that he shouldn't have been sleeping on his couch the night before. Finally, Gibbs had ordered him to go downstairs and see whether Abby's cot was still available for him. Tony had shot him a thankful smile which went unnoticed by McGee and Ziva as they were both dozing, but Gibbs had seen and returned it with a tired smile of his own. Tony stepped into the lab, not the least surprised that there was loud music still blaring from the speakers. Abby, however, heard him despite the noise and turned around, giving him a sympathetic look.

"You don't have to say no more. Go sleep, I'll turn off the music."

"Thanks, Abs," he just replied, too tired to say more as he reached for the cot.

He became vaguely aware of his surroundings a couple of hours later, when a warm hand softly brushed away a strand of hair from his forehead. He sighed contently, not quite willing to wake up just yet. The hand was now combing through his hair and Tony knew that it made no sense not to open his eyes because he was fully awake by now due to the tender caress. He blinked a few times, finally focusing on the man who was sitting next to him, still brushing his hair.

"Hey," Gibbs quietly said as Tony propped himself up on his arms.

"Hey yourself," Tony replied. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long," Jethro smiled. "Couple of minutes."

"We got any news on the case?" Tony yawned widely.

"No, not yet."

"Then why are you here?"

"Maybe I just like watching you sleep," Gibbs smirked as Tony sat up completely.

"That's kind of sweet," Tony whispered back before he added, "and just a tad creepy."

Gibbs let out a laugh before he became serious again. "No, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You didn't answer your phone."

Tony looked into his blue eyes and felt something weird spread in his stomach again as he realized that Gibbs had actually told the truth. He was oddly touched by the statement and gave the other man a smile before he rubbed a tired hand over his face.

"You always like that when you're in love?"

He watched Gibbs' eyes grow wide and only then realized what he had just said. Horrified, he briefly wondered where that one had come from as he looked at the other man, who was still sitting there rather stiffly. They stared at each other for a moment before Tony hurried to explain, stuttering.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Brain's not back online, yet. Sorry."

He saw him nod curtly and open his mouth as if to answer as there was an exaggerated loud knock on the door and Abby came rushing in.

"Guys, I just got a ding on the blood samples you took from underneath Martin's fingernails. They're from his sister."

She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes darting from Gibbs, who was still sitting there, staring at him, to Tony who rubbed the back of his head, feeling really uncomfortable by now.

"Did I interrupt something?" she finally continued, a guilty expression on her face.

"No," Gibbs eventually said something and then stood up, casting a short glance at Tony.

Getting the clue, Tony reluctantly got up, too, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, secretly wishing that he could also rub away the strange feeling that had spread in his stomach. As he was still internally cursing himself for talking without thinking, Gibbs had already followed Abby to look at the results of the blood test.

-x-

The search for the missing woman kept them on their toes the next couple of hours as they almost frantically searched for any new information. Tony tried his best to keep his head in the game, but he couldn't help but notice the glances that Gibbs threw at him from time to time. He tried to avoid eye contact as best as he could, making sure that he'd stay professional as long as the case was still unsolved. But still, in the few moments in which he was able to take a break and breath, his mind simply wouldn't shut up about the stupid thing he had said earlier. He still couldn't understand why he had thought it was the right thing to say at that moment. Granted, he had still been half asleep and hadn't really thought that Gibbs was exactly that – in love with him. But still, he was feeling oddly devastated by the other man's non-existent reaction to it. He tried to suppress the thought for the moment and focus on the case instead. He could still tear himself apart for messing up this thing later.

-x-

"In a nutshell," McGee said. "Our main suspect is a woman who has allegedly gone missing two days prior to Martin's death. Without her, we have nothing."

"Yeah, we know, McObvious," Tony retorted annoyed, throwing his pen down onto his desk.

They had worked off their butts the last couple of hours and they still had nothing. They were all currently back in the bullpen, save for Gibbs who had been called into the director's office a couple of minutes ago.

"Do not be cranky at McGee, Tony," Ziva chimed in, throwing him a mild version of her death glare. "It is not his fault that we cannot find anything or that you had a fight with Gibbs."

Tony felt the blood drain from his face as he turned to look at her. What had she picked up on? Had he hidden the fact that he was in distress so poorly? He made sure to have a neutral mask on his face as he finally answered very intelligently. "Huh?"

Ziva let out a snort and shook her head. "Well, did you not?"

"What? Fight with Gibbs?" Tony asked, trying to keep his voice as light as possible as he realized that Ziva didn't know more than she was supposed to. "No, we didn't fight. Why would we?"

"You tell me."

"I don't know, Ziva," Tony sighed exasperated, successfully hiding the fact that he was really worried about how easily she had been able to read him as well as Gibbs. "'Cause we didn't fight."

"Are you sure?" McGee chimed in and Tony felt his heart sink even further. "You barely talked or looked at each other ever since Abby found out about the blood."

"That's because we were working and not chit-chatting."

Tony turned his head so fast that his neck cracked loudly as Gibbs' voice traveled down the stairs. The boss was glaring at McGee and Ziva, but as his glance reached Tony, something in his expression changed ever so slightly. Tony couldn't quite place it, but he didn't seem to be angry at least. It was as if the guy was wary for some reason as though he was afraid that Tony would ask him stuff he wasn't comfortable with in front of the others. Tony took a deep breath and finally averted his glance from him, finding interest in the missing woman's financial records again, all of a sudden desperate to close that case as quickly as possible.

-x-

He had no such luck, though. There was still no hit on the BOLO or any new other traces. They had talked to friends and family, but they hadn't been able to extract more information than they already had. Tony couldn't even see a way how they were supposed to find something anyway. He was dead on his feet and he was sure that his brain wasn't up to keep him concentrated for more than a minute. Consequently, he was relieved when Gibbs finally sent them home around ten o'clock in order to get some sleep and try a fresh start the next morning. McGee and Ziva quickly gathered their stuff and were off towards the elevators before Tony had even shut down his computer, but he didn't particularly mind. He hadn't been alone with Gibbs ever since he had mumbled the stupid thing and was now desperate for any kind of response.

"Are you going home, too?" he asked as he finally picked up his stuff, realizing that Gibbs was still staring intently as the screen in front of him.

He looked up now, running a hand through his hair before he almost imperceptibly nodded his head. Tony stared into his eyes for a moment, trying to figure out whether or not it would be a good idea to offer him a place to sleep, but decided that it didn't really matter because the guy would decline anyway, the stoic expression on his face was dead giveaway for that. He had already turned around to walk towards the elevators when Gibbs cleared his throat, which echoed loudly through the deserted office.

"My place or yours?" he asked and Tony felt his heart beat pick up pace.

"Uh, mine?" he answered, realizing that it sounded more like a question than anything else.

"Okay," Gibbs replied, the hint of a smile on his face. "I'll try to be there as soon as I can, alright?"

"Uh, okay," Tony said, hearing the confusion in his own voice, but turned around nevertheless as he realized that Gibbs' attention was already back on reading.

-x-

Even as he was already lying in bed, he hadn't gotten over his confusion. Why would the guy want to spend the night when he had barely even looked at him during the day? For a short moment, Tony thought that maybe he had imagined the weird tension between them after all, but then he remembered Ziva's remark about the fight between the two of them. So, something strange had been there and Tony didn't know what to think of first. His thoughts strayed towards early that morning as Jethro's pale face just wouldn't vanish from his mind. He didn't know why it bothered him that much that there had been no reaction to his statement. Granted, Gibbs had wanted to say something when Abby had interrupted, but still, he hadn't looked exactly happy, either. He tried to imagine what it would feel like if Gibbs had said something like that to him and had to realize that even the theoretical possibility had him feeling all tingly inside.

And that was when he realized that the older man apparently didn't return the sentiment. He could have easily pulled him aside at any time during the day to talk things through, but he hadn't done so and that had to mean something. But what had Tony that confused, even as he was already half asleep, was the fact that Gibbs had still wanted to come over to share a bed that night. Why would he do that if he was so appalled by the mere notion of being in love with him? Mentally head slapping himself, Tony turned around in his bed, realizing that he would not know until the other man had explained it to him.

He tried to stay awake as long as he could, desperately wanting to talk to Jethro, but after another half an hour, he had to give in to the sheer exhaustion that pulled him into sleep.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thoughts? Complaints? Reviews would be really great! _


	19. Told

_A/N: Hmmm, ffdotnet seems to be having some issues again, let's see if this works now. _

_And wow, I'm still amazed at the quantity of reviews for the last chapter. Thank you sooo much for your kind words! So here it is, and slightly longer than usual, the next chapter. Hope you like it! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen: Told<strong>

Once again, Tony woke up in the small hours of the morning as a cell phone ringed incessantly right next to his head. He sighed and turned to grab it, but an arm held him firmly in place. Feeling his heart miss a beat, he carefully extracted himself from Gibbs' grip, made sure that it was actually his cell phone that was ringing this time and then answered.

"DiNozzo."

"Tony, it's me," he heard Abby's voice through the receiver. "The gun that was used to kill Martin just turned up. I'm already running the fingerprints. Sorry, I'm calling so early, but I couldn't get a hold of Gibbs and you're the next in line, so."

"It's okay, Abs," Tony yawned widely, glancing at his alarm clock that read 5 o'clock in the morning. "He's here anyway. We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Ooooh," Abby all but squealed. "I so want to hear the dirty details after the case is done."

"There's nothing to tell and I wouldn't tell you anyway."

"Don't underestimate the powers of my persuasion, Tony," Abby laughed and then hung up.

Groaning loudly, Tony scrubbed a hand over his face and for a moment snuggled back against Gibbs before he remembered that he probably shouldn't do that, given the situation they were in. Taking a deep breath and for a moment savoring in the other man's scent, he carefully shook Gibbs' shoulder, urging him to wake up.

"Huh?" Gibbs blinked himself awake and sighed before he reached up and placed a soft kiss on Tony's lips. "Morning."

"Morning," Tony replied slightly confused at the nonchalance that Gibbs was radiating at the moment. "Abby just called. Gun turned up. She's running the fingerprints as we speak."

"Okay," Gibbs just replied as he got out of bed slowly. "Better head back in then."

"Yeah," Tony just replied dully, feeling the disappointment settle in the pit of his stomach as he realized that Gibbs was apparently still not willing to talk to him about it. "Let's go to work."

-x-

An hour later, Tony was standing next to Gibbs in Abby's lab, listening to her ramble about how the gun had been found by an agent who had been combing the area around the dead petty officer's apartment in search for any new traces. He was really trying to listen to her, but his mind was still reeling about the non-existent reaction from Gibbs. Tony knew that he should probably see it as a good sign that the guy had slept next to him the night before, had been plastered up against him and had given him a good-morning-kiss, but something was still feeling oddly off and the accidental touches, when Gibbs' hand would brush his, weren't exactly helping him to quite get into the right frame of mind to be able to work at his best.

He was roused from his musings when, as if on cue, Abby's search announced its success in matching the fingerprints with a ding. He gaped at the picture for a moment before he turned towards Gibbs who had a rather surprised expression on his face.

"Not who I thought," Tony gestured towards the picture of Dora's husband Max. "Bring him in?"

"No, let him run," Gibbs replied indignantly before he subtly shook his head. "Take McGee and go."

"On it, Boss," Tony just replied, ignoring the questioning look from Abby as he turned to leave her lab.

-x-

Tony stood outside the interrogation room, leaning against one of the orange walls and waited for Gibbs to finally show up to ask their suspect a few questions. Dora's husband had looked rather shell-shocked as they had come to pick him up, his eyes still red from crying too much. He had looked like a mess and something that felt suspiciously like empathy had spread in Tony's stomach. Gibbs rounded a corner now and came into his field of vision, the ever present cup of coffee in his hand. He gave him a small smile before he nodded towards the closed door to interrogation.

"He gave you any problems?"

"Not at all, Boss," Tony replied, trying to avoid eye contact. "Felt as if he was waiting for us. You think he killed his wife, too?"

"We don't even know she's dead," Gibbs replied and sipped from his coffee. "But I guess you're going to find out."

"I'm doing the interrogation?" Tony asked surprised and finally turned to look at him.

"Yup," was all that Gibbs said before he stepped into the observation room.

Tony gaped after him for a few moments before he shook himself and drew his thoughts from Jethro's retreating back to the case at hand. He opened the door now and sat down opposite of their suspect, who had his head in his hands.

"So," Tony started, looking at the file in front of him. "We've found the gun that has killed your brother-in-law and it happens to have your fingerprints all over it. Care to explain?"

Max finally looked up from his hands and Tony was almost able to feel the desperation that was radiation from him. He remained silent for a few more moments before a silent tear started to roll down his cheek and he answered silently.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, you have to believe me. I just didn't see any other way after all that has happened."

Tony cocked his head ever so slightly, wondering if he had ever gotten such a quick confession from someone. But the way the perp was staring at him with that devastated look still in his eyes, he felt enthralled by the guy, wanted to hear the whole story now.

"So, what has happened, then?"

"Dora, I mean my wife, went to confront Jordan about stuff a week ago and he totally freaked out on her, saying things, attacking her," he trailed off now as he wiped away the lonely tear.

"What stuff?" Tony probed, knowing that it would be easy to get to know everything he wanted to.

"She found out what Jordan was doing on those so-called business trips he was taking all the time," he looked up at Tony and as he saw him nod, he continued. "He has been selling those fake insurance policies to old people and cheated lots of money out of them. I don't know how he managed to do that, but Dora found out about it and went over there and then all hell broke loose."

"Okay," Tony slowly answered, turning around to stare at the window for a moment, knowing that Gibbs had probably already sent either McGee or Ziva to check up on the selling-insurance-story. "What happened between Dora and Petty Officer Martin, then?"

"Well, she confronted him about it and he totally freaked out on her, calling her names, hitting her and finally threatening to kill her. She told me that he had pulled a gun on her and all that stuff."

"How did she get out of there?" Tony asked and realized that his tone had become rather soft all of a sudden.

"She's taken Krav Maga classes for years, managed to disarm him and then ran for her life."

Tony gave him a small smile, suddenly feeling oddly sorry for the dead marine. If Dora had even remotely the skills that Ziva had at Krav Maga, he probably couldn't have moved as much as a muscle after their fight.

"I don't understand," Tony finally continued as he realized that the other guy wasn't keen on elaborating now. "Where's your wife now if she was able to run?"

"We thought it was best for her," Max answered slowly, staring at the window behind Tony as if he could look into a whole different place from there, "to go into hiding. She's at my brother's place in Tennessee. And you have to believe me, Agent DiNozzo, she has nothing to do with anything, please. She just found out about her brother's tampering by accident and simply wanted to set him straight."

"So, you basically faked her disappearance. Why?"

"Thought it was our only choice," the suspect whispered now. "I just wanted her to be safe. Her brother's always been a bit of a nutcase. We didn't want to take any chances."

"Okay, I get that. But why didn't you call the police if you have nothing to hide?"

Max remained silent at that for a few moments, staring at his hands as if he had never seen them before. Tony just kept on looking at him, realizing that the guy was fighting an inner battle, but after two or three minutes in silence, he finally answered, his voice surprisingly steady.

"I don't trust you people," he replied with venom in his voice as he looked back at Tony.

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"A cop killed my first wife. She simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The cop never got sentenced for that as it was ruled an accident. But I ask you, how can killing an innocent woman be an accident?"

Tony stared at him dumbfounded for a moment, feeling as if the other man's hurt was crushing him and he didn't know how to answer.

"Yeah," Max replied for him. "You have no answer for that and that's okay because I don't think there is one. Anyway, that's why I like to settle my fights on my own without involving the police."

"So, you went to confront your brother-in-law? Why?"

"I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't go after Dora. I couldn't risk losing her, too. Not after everything that has happened. I couldn't. And you have to believe me, I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to scare him a bit, you know. So, I brought my gun with me and then, I don't even know what happened, first he was just shouting at me and the next thing I know, he's running at me, a knife in his hand and I… I… I could have run away, I didn't need to shoot…"

He turned to stare at his hands once again and Tony was able to see tears streaming down his cheeks. He knew that he had gotten the confession, had everything he needed to hear and yet, he was sitting there, feeling nothing but sorry for the guy in front of him.

"So, why did you shoot?" Tony asked calmly, his eyes never leaving the other man's.

Max gulped audibly and held the eye contact before he once again wiped away his tears and answered.

"Have you ever been in love, Agent DiNozzo? Or better yet, are you in love right now?"

Tony gaped at him, but then saw the sincerity and urgency in the other man's eyes and he suddenly wasn't able to obtain their eye contact. He bowed his head and then all but whispered.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

He felt his heart pick up pace as he realized that he hadn't lied. He felt slightly stupid for only realizing it now when he had been obsessing over it the whole day and night, but it was true. He was in love - head over heels. He looked back up at the other guy and just saw the smallest of smiles disappear from his face.

"If you love her only half as much as I loved my first wife and as I now love Dora, I'm sure you'll understand that there isn't anything I wouldn't do to keep her safe. As I saw Jordan coming after me like that, I knew that he wouldn't rest until he had killed her and I couldn't let that happen. I just couldn't. I love her too much, I couldn't lose her, too, you have to understand that, Agent DiNozzo."

He had burst into tears again and Tony felt something tug uncomfortably at his insides as he realized that he was actually able to understand the guy somewhat. He subtly shook his head, sent a – what he hoped was – sympathetic look at the murderer and then stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

He let out a sigh as he heard the door next to him open and saw Ziva and McGee step out of observation. Ziva looked rather smug, though Tony didn't miss the sadness in her eyes, while McGee was staring at him wide-eyed as if he had just seen a ghost. Tony turned to walk away from them, but Tim grabbed his arm at the last second, keeping him rooted to the spot.

"Why did you not tell us?" Ziva inquired now, her lips forming a tight line, even though her eyes were sparkling kindly. "Who is she?"

Tony sighed and ran a hand over his face, trying to buy himself some time to think. "I lied. I just wanted to keep him talking."

"No, you didn't," McGee replied, his gaze fixed on Tony. "He had already told you everything. And you are kind of… changed lately."

"I'm telling you," Tony threw up his hands in exasperation. "There's no one. I'm not in love."

Why in the world had he been stupid enough to confess in there? He wouldn't tell the two of them anything, not when things were that awkward between Gibbs and him like they were now. He tried to keep his heart beat under control and watched Ziva open her mouth as there was suddenly someone clearing his throat loudly behind her. Tony looked up and saw Gibbs standing there, one hand on his hip, the other one still holding his coffee as he looked sternly at them.

"McGee, Ziva, what are you still doing here harassing DiNozzo? I told you to check the wife's whereabouts and the fake insurance policies," he bellowed and the two of them jumped into action, almost running towards the bullpen.

Tony, however, kept on standing there, staring at the older man, feeling his cheeks grow hotter by the second and a strange warmth spread in his stomach. Gibbs remained where he was and at first looked rather wary before a smile suddenly spread on his face. As Tony looked even closer, he realized that his blue eyes were somewhat brighter than usual and his heart missed a beat. But he didn't get it, why would Jethro look at him like that if he was freaked out about what Tony had said in Abby's lab the other day and what he had just told Max in interrogation? They continued to stand there just looking at each other until they were able to hear footsteps somewhere behind Tony and were forced to break their eye contact. Gibbs let out a sigh before he finally said something.

"Go down to Abby. Tell her that she can go home and good work."

"Yeah, okay," Tony just replied, once again overly disappointed that the other guy still hadn't said anything important.

He had already turned around to leave, when Gibbs started over again, barely above a whisper.

"Come to my place tonight?"

-x-

As soon as the doors to Abby's lab opened, Tony knew that he shouldn't have come down here. He hadn't even opened his mouth to say hi to her, when she came running towards him, flinging her arms around him. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Blake slightly shake his head as he made himself invisible by leaving the lab. Tony tried to take a breath and to avoid having his ribs broken by Abby's tight embrace as he gently disentangled himself from her.

"What's up, Abs?" he asked even though he could probably guess the reason for her excitement.

"You're so cute, Tony," she squealed, still holding on to his shoulders. "I'm so proud of you. You're already using the l-word. You know how big that is, right? I'm so excited, Tony!"

Tony sighed as he stepped away from her to give himself the chance to catch a breath.

"Who told you? Ziva?"

"No, Timmy did," Abby laughed. "But it doesn't matter, this is so great."

"Abby, stop, please," he grinded out, desperately trying to calm her down. "I haven't even told him, yet. And I'm pretty sure that he doesn't even want to hear it. I didn't mean what I told the guy in interrogation, I just wanted him to keep on talking."

"Oh damn right you were. You are in love and you know it. And what do you mean Gibbs wouldn't want to hear it? Don't be ridiculous. Have you seen the way he's looking at you lately? You didn't see him staring at you while you were sleeping yesterday! I have never ever seen him look like that at anyone. Trust me. Besides, he's heard you in interrogation. You can't take it back now."

Tony ducked his head, unable to look at her any longer as he let her words sink in. Was Gibbs really looking at him differently than before? And even more important, had that fact changed since yesterday? Abby, having apparently misjudged his silence, took a step forwards, so that they were standing face to face again.

"Wait, you don't want to take it back, right?" she asked quietly as if to persuade herself that her own words weren't true.

"No," Tony sighed, running his fingers through his hair before he looked up into her eyes, slightly offended by her train of thought. "No, of course not."

"Okay then," Abby let out a relieved sigh. "Then shoo, write your report and then go talk to him."

-x-

Tony had barely walked into house a couple of hours later that Gibbs stepped out of the kitchen into the hallway as if he had been waiting for him for hours.

"Hey," Tony just said lamely as he got rid of his scarf and coat.

"Hey, you want something for dinner? We can order in. Chinese sound good?"

"Yeah sure, why not?" Tony replied quietly as he followed the guy into his living-room and sat down on the couch.

They stayed silent for a few moments after Gibbs had called the restaurant, ordering Tony's favorite without asking. Tony just sat there, scrutinizing the guy from head to toe, but didn't notice anything being different about him. He still wasn't feeling all that comfortable around the man, despite everything that Abby had said to him. Just as Tony had plucked up his courage to start talking, Gibbs beat him to it.

"What's got you worked up so much, Tony?"

Tony moved ever so slightly, so that his left arm was resting on the backrest of his couch, in order to get a closer look at Jethro. He realized that his own mouth was hanging open and his eyes had widened at the sheer ignorance coming from the other man.

"Are you serious?" he finally managed to ask and saw Gibbs actually cringe at his tone. "You haven't talked to me ever since I… ever since we were down in Abby's lab yesterday. That's what has me worked up."

"Tony, that's work, you know that," Gibbs replied, furrowing a brow and Tony realized that he really was confused for once, but that didn't mean that he was any less angry or disappointed in him.

"Stop giving me excuses. If there's nothing wrong why were you avoiding me?"

Gibbs shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger before he turned around to fully face him, his eyes slightly darker than usual.

"I wasn't avoiding you. I've slept at your place, been around you all day long, how is that avoiding you?"

"But why didn't you talk to me, then?" Tony quietly retorted, having lost some of his steam as he realized that Gibbs wasn't all that wrong about that.

"We had a case, Tony," Jethro replied, sounding slightly exasperated by now. "We talked about this before. That's work. And if it bothered you that much, why didn't you talk to me? I can't always read your mind, okay? Come to me when there's something wrong."

Tony once again stayed silent as he wasn't entirely sure how Gibbs had just managed to make this his fault. He stared back at him and realized that he actually wasn't looking angry at all, but that didn't mean that Tony could place his expression properly.

"But you knew that something was bothering me, right? You could have just come to me, too."

"I tried," Gibbs answered quickly, leaning into him a little bit. "But you were asleep last night when I got home and it's not like I can walk up to you in the bullpen and tell you that you were right, can I?

"You could have told me down in Abby's lab," Tony blurted out before he could stop himself, while that warm something had started to spread in his stomach again, but he chose to ignore it for the time being.

"No, I couldn't, Tony. I was surprised, I guess. I just didn't know before you pointed it out to me."

"How can you not know? Aren't you supposed to know as soon as it's there? Isn't that what they say?"

"Did you?" Gibbs whispered softly as he held the eye contact. "I just hadn't thought about it before, okay? Doesn't mean that I don't mean it."

Tony remained silent and just stared at the other man, who was looking at him almost tenderly even though his brows were still furrowed as if he was still confused about something. They sat like that for what seemed to be a very long time before Jethro finally cleared his throat and continued to talk.

"You do realize that I just told you I'm in love with you, right?"

Tony gulped audibly before it registered in his mind that he had been so mesmerized by the look on the other man's face and their talk that he had totally missed that. He heard his pulse rush loudly through his ears and opened his mouth at least three times before he was finally able to manage to smile at the other man, who returned the gesture instantly. Tony cleared his throat and then quietly replied with a face-splitting smile on his lips.

"Yeah, you just did."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be awesome! :)_


	20. Rewarded

_A/N: Sorry this took so long, but I've caught a nasty little cold last week and well... Anyway, thank you so much for your awesome reviews and I hope you like the next chapter! :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty: Rewarded<strong>

Tony continued to stare at the older man for a while, letting his words sink in. Had Gibbs really just told him that he was in love with him? Had he just verbally expressed his feelings? He had trouble believing that, but he knew that he probably should because otherwise the other man wouldn't look at him like that, his head cocked to the left side, a fully grown smile on his lips and his blue eyes were locked into his own green ones. Gibbs subtly shook his head now as he grabbed Tony's left hand that was still lying on the backrest of the couch. He squeezed it softly before he broke the eye contact between them, the serious expression from before back on his face.

"Listen, Tony," he started over and Tony knew that this conversation was not over yet. "Stop being so damn insecure about this. I'm not going anywhere, I've already told you that and if there's something to talk about it, talk. Don't bottle everything up if it makes you act like you did today."

"I'm sorry," Tony started to apologize, but broke off when Gibbs held up his other hand.

"Don't be. I'm not your boss here, Tony. And I mean that, speak up when I'm stupid or wrong, okay? We're both in this relationship and we're equals here. But I need you to step up when stuff like this happens, otherwise this won't work."

Tony nodded and absent-mindedly interlaced his fingers with Jethro's, knowing that the guy was right about everything. He had been acting rather foolishly and he knew that he had to start cutting himself some slack.

"I know," he finally and hesitantly answered. "Sometimes all of this just… feels so unreal, you know?"

"I know," Gibbs surprisingly replied with a smile on his lips. "But doesn't this feel real to you?"

And before Tony could do as much as blink once, he was able to feel the other man's lips on his and the hand on his neck that drew him closer towards Gibbs. It didn't take long, though, before he kissed him back as he let his lips slide apart ever so slightly when the older man's tongue begged for entrance. Tony knew that he hadn't said nearly enough, but yet he hoped that he could tell the other man everything just like that, just with kissing him as good and thoroughly as he could. Their tongues battled for dominance, but neither one was ever winning. Tony had just started to trail unknown patterns on the other man's skin on his back, where his polo-shirt had ridden up, when the door bell disrupted their plans. Groaning, Gibbs reluctantly backed away and scrubbed a hand over his face before he stood up and went to the front door in order to pay the delivery guy.

"I guess, we should eat, huh?" he said when he returned, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Yup, I guess," Tony just replied and gave him a quick peck on his cheek before he grabbed the cartons of food from the other man.

-x-

The next day was once again filled with the tedious paper work, but Tony couldn't bring himself to mind all that much. He felt utterly relaxed and those scarce glances that Gibbs would direct at him every now and then helped a lot to forget about his insecurities from the day before. He knew that he would probably still freak out about it, but he also knew that he had the chance to just step up and talk about anything with Gibbs and that fact alone made him feel far more comfortable than he had in a long time.

That feeling, however, only persisted as long as Gibbs was actually in the bullpen with them because as soon as the bossman was called up into MTAC, as soon were Ziva and McGee on his case.

"You look tired today, Tony," Ziva started to approach him once she was sure that Gibbs was not within earshot.

"Not really," he just replied, keeping his eyes steadily on the screen in front of him, while he had actually trouble containing a yawn at the very moment.

They had once again fallen asleep on Jethro's old couch the nigh before and while his back wasn't giving him all that much trouble for once, he hadn't exactly slept well the night before, due to the latent fear that if he turned, he'd fall from the couch. Even now he knew that it was stupid, but he still hadn't quite been able to relax completely.

"You've been at your girlfriend's place tonight, right?" McGee joined Ziva in their obvious attempt to get some information out of him.

"No, I wasn't," Tony replied now, his eyes still on his report.

"But there is a girlfriend, yes?" Ziva stuck to her guns.

Sighing exaggeratedly, Tony finally looked up and leaned back in his chair, trying to keep his most irritated expression in place. He ran a hand through his hair before he finally looked into Ziva's eyes with determination.

"No, there is no girlfriend."

With some relief, he realized that he hadn't even lied. It was the truth. He wasn't seeing a woman after all. He still felt kind of bad about it, though, regarding how close the three of them actually were, despite their nagging and the pranks that they kept on playing each other. The thought of simply telling them briefly crossed his mind, but he discarded that particular idea for the time being. He wouldn't talk to them without consulting Jethro first and without him being present. So, he just kept on glancing alternately at Ziva and McGee until he visibly saw Tim's shoulder slump.

"You sure, there's no girl?" he asked and Tony felt the sudden ping of guilt somewhere inside of him.

"Yeah, there's no girl."

"Damn," McGee just replied and fumbled with the back pocket of his jeans before he retrieved his wallet and handed fifty dollars to Ziva, who simply smirked at him.

"You placed bets on me having a girlfriend?" Tony asked irritated and immediately the feeling of guilt subsided within him.

"Yes," Ziva answered, smiling at him. "We noticed that something was different with you recently and then you confessed to having someone to the perp the other day."

"So, why d'you bet I didn't have one?"

"I do not know," Ziva replied, furrowing a brow. "Something about that explanation was not right. But I can't put my thumb on what it is."

"Finger," Tony corrected her automatically while he internally swore to himself not to act that suspiciously anymore, but then he realized that he didn't even know what had given him away in the first place.

"Wait," he continued. "What do you mean, something was different with me? I'm exactly the same I've always been."

"No, not really," McGee once again chimed in. "Your mood changes far more quickly than usual, you know. But not that it's bad, you seem to be… you know… more balanced lately."

"That doesn't even make sense, McNonsense."

"Yes, it does," he defended himself as he settled down at his own desk again. "You're easier to live with lately. Either you're just in a good mood generally or you're so deep in thoughts that you don't even think about torturing us."

Tony let out a laugh as he fixed McGee with a playful glare.

"Aw, Probie! I didn't know you cared. But be assured if you're already missing my pranks, I'll make sure to put as much work into them as I can from now on."

He watched McGee grin at him broadly and wondered what in the world was up with him, but then a hand connected painfully with the back of his head and Tony knew what had been the reason for Tim's joy right there. Rubbing his head, he turned around and stared into the rather annoyed-looking face of his boss.

"Right, not going to happen again, Boss," Tony said, all the while still grinning at him.

"No," Gibbs replied, shaking his head ever so slightly. "Not on my watch, it won't. And now go back to work. I want to get out of here at a reasonable time tonight."

"Hot date tonight?" Tony quipped before he could stop himself, earning himself a rather admiring glance from Ziva and another head slap from Gibbs.

"None of your business, DiNozzo. And now get your reports done, pronto."

-x-

When Tony arrived at Jethro's house that night, having made a detour to his apartment to get the mail and a quick stop at a Thai restaurant to get their take-outs, he was surprised that there was already a car blocking the driveway. To hedge his bets, he parked his car around the corner and then stealthily stepped inside. He dropped the food on the kitchen counter and then carefully followed the voices towards the basement. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that no other than Fornell was down there talking to Gibbs.

"… can't believe I actually caught you at home for once, Jethro," he heard the FBI agent accuse.

"I'm always here," Jethro answered nonchalantly, but Tony didn't miss the slight edge in it.

"Yeah, right," Fornell replied with a snort. "You got a new squeeze, don't you?"

This time it was Gibbs' turn to snort as Tony inched further into the room to be able to hear them better.

"New squeeze? Really, Tobias? Who the hell talks like that?"

"I do," he replied indignantly and Tony could see him rub the back of his head before he continued. "But it's true, isn't it?"

Tony managed to move further onto the stairs without making a sound and was finally able to see Jethro, who was currently leaning against the frame of his boat, scrubbing a hand over his face, but refusing to even look at the FBI agent. Fornell stayed silent for a few moments before he eventually continued.

"Oh, you so do have someone. No need to deny it, I know that look on your face. Haven't seen that one in forever. Is it anyone I know?"

Tony internally braced himself for the lie that Jethro was sure to tell the other man, but was surprised by the guy when he once again stayed silent. He felt his heart pick up pace when Gibbs moved towards the work bench and poured himself a glass of bourbon, not bothering to offer some to Fornell, too. Gibbs still hadn't said anything when he had downed the liquor with one gulp and Tony felt himself getting slightly restless. But then, his boss finally turned around to look at the other agent and then, to Tony's utter surprise, nodded.

"Yeah."

Tony continued to stare at him, not believing that he had just confessed that kind of stuff and to Fornell of all people, too. He hadn't really given the relationship between the two agents that much thought, but as he came to think about it now, he realized that the two of them had to be closer than he had originally thought. After all, Fornell had sensed that Gibbs was seeing someone and had apparently come over to his place a couple of times. Plus, the fact that Gibbs had just told him that he was dating someone had to count for something, too. He usually wasn't exactly one to share stuff like that after all.

"Who is it?" Fornell roused him from his thoughts and Tony returned to watch Jethro closely.

There were a few moments of poignant silence before Gibbs cleared his throat loudly and turned around, once again pouring himself a drink. He downed that one, too, and Tony had the distinct feeling that he was actually nervous now and he couldn't blame him as he remembered the talk with Abby the week before.

"It's Tony," Jethro finally replied, still not looking at Fornell, who had literally taken a step backwards at his words.

He stared at him for a moment or two, apparently stunned to silence before he visibly shook himself and let out a laugh.

"Good one," he finally said. "And now, try again?"

Only now did Gibbs turn around to look at his friend again. Tony's heart missed a beat as he realized that Jethro wouldn't lie to Fornell and that he was actually coming out to him right at that moment. He held his breath and waited for Gibbs to say something, but he remained silent, just staring at the other man. Finally, the truth apparently had sunk in because Fornell cleared his throat as if to buy himself some time before he finally spoke again.

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"Nope."

"Wow," Fornell pressed out, shaking his head. "That's… different."

Jethro let out a laugh and Tony felt himself relax instantly at the sound. He watched Gibbs watching Fornell, but he seemed to be at ease now and Tony would have given his right arm to be able to see the expression on Fornell's face.

"Need something to drink?" Gibbs asked now, still smirking at him.

"What? No," Fornell started. "I have Emily tonight. Just wanted to make sure you were up to nothing stupid. Which clearly you…"

"Aren't," Gibbs finished the sentence for him.

"Yeah, right," Fornell continued, but Tony could hear the slight amusement in his voice now. "DiNozzo, really, I can't believe it."

"Yeah, well," Gibbs replied nonchalantly. "Better get used to it."

"Not like there's any other choice," Fornell chuckled. "Good luck with that. I reserve the right to step in, though, if you're wearing a $1000-suit."

"You do that," Jethro laughed.

Tony suppressed a grin and then quickly sneaked out the house before either man would catch him eavesdropping. He waited a few moments before he opened the front door from the outside and nearly ran into Fornell, who stared at him with a slightly frightened expression. Trying to contain his laughter, Tony just nodded at him as he passed by him.

"Fornell."

"DiNozzo," he replied just as gruffly and was about to close the door behind him when Tony couldn't help himself and said,

"Nice suit."

He watched Fornell actually blush ever so slightly before he finally turned around and closed the door.

"You've heard everything, didn't you?" Tony was startled out of his amusement when Gibbs suddenly appeared right behind him.

"Pretty much. Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"Can't believe I didn't hear you," Gibbs replied and pressed a chaste kiss on Tony's lips. "So, what's the verdict?"

Tony looked at him for a moment, tilting his head ever so slightly as he realized that the guy actually wanted to know what he was thinking about all of this. That warm and fuzzy feeling spread in his stomach again as he leaned closer and then engaged the rather surprised man in a tight embrace.

"Thanks for being honest," he whispered into his ear and felt Gibbs shiver ever so slightly at his words.

"Not going to lie about you, Tony."

"Good to know," he answered softly before he let go and kissed him.

They stayed like that for a long time, tongues brushing against each other, hands on each other's back, on each other's skin. Trying to catch his breath, Tony backed away ever so slightly for a moment, noting the other man's flushed skin and darker than usual eyes.

"Move this to the bedroom?"

"Yeah," Gibbs just replied and then all but dragged him upstairs.

Tony let out a laugh as he was thrown onto the bed and then claimed by the older man once again as he straddled his thighs. They continued their earlier kissing, but they had gotten more passionate now as Tony helped Jethro get rid of his polo-shirt. His own shirt was soon to follow and he took the chance to flip them over so that he was on top of Jethro now. He took his time to kiss his way across his jaw, pausing at his ears for a moment before he continued his journey to Jethro's neck and his defined collarbone. Gently nibbling at the skin there, he heard the other man groan quietly and encouraged by that began to suck at one nipple. Jethro groaned once again as his head fell back onto the pillows and his hand gripped Tony's arms. Taking the moment of momentary distraction on the older man's side, Tony kissed his way further down, softly sucking at the skin on his chest and stomach. By the time he reached the belly button, he realized that Jethro was actually shivering under his every touch and he looked up, his eyes meeting the hooded blue ones. Jethro gave him a smile so broad that Tony had momentarily trouble catching his breath and yet it oddly enough calmed down his nerves and his heart beat. He saw Gibbs nod ever so slightly and even though he didn't even have a clue what he had just been given permission for, he flicked his tongue into the other man's belly button, causing him to groan loudly, winding his fingers into Tony's hair.

"You like that, don't you?" Tony smiled without looking up.

The only answer he got in return was a sharp tug on his hair, so he finally stopped licking, but only to make his way further down. He pressed his lips against Jethro's stomach, right above the waistband of his jeans and felt him quiver under him once again. He stopped right there and looked up at him, all of a sudden rather unsure of how to continue. He hadn't given this whole thing that much thought before and yet it had all come rather naturally to him and he realized with a start that he was desperate to try this out. He stared into Jethro's eyes now, realizing that his pupils were dark and dilated and he knew exactly what he wanted and needed to do. He was just about to reach for the other man's belt when two strong hands stopped him and he returned to look at him. Jethro's cheeks were still flushed and he was sweating ever so slightly, but he had a rather serious expression on his face now.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I do," Tony answered, giving him a smile before he continued. "I figure if I'm the first to give you a blow job, I'll also be the first to… you know."

He felt Gibbs stiffen under him for a moment before he relaxed again and the corners of his mouth quivered. Tony had meant it as a joke, not that he had ever even given the idea of him being the one to fuck the older man more than a few moments thought. But then Gibbs smirked at him and to Tony's utter surprise nodded.

"Sounds about right," he said and then ran a hand through Tony's hair. "Where did we stop now?"

Letting out a laugh, Tony interlaced the fingers of his right hand with Gibbs' and reached up to kiss him again before he released him and turned his attention to undoing the button of the other man's jeans. Jethro let out a sharp breath as he pulled down the zip and then his jeans and boxers. For a moment, Tony stared at the hard cock right in front of him, already wet from the pre-cum, before he blinked once and then leaned forwards a bit, flicking his tongue across the tip. As he felt Jethro thrusting forwards his hips to meet his touch, he braced an arm across his thigh, holding him in place. Taking a deep breath and trying to keep his nerves in check, he leaned down and then sank his mouth onto the shaft, taking him in as far as he could manage. Jethro released a rather strangled groan and Tony smiled into him and took it as encouragement. He moved back and sucked hard, eliciting a moan from somewhere deep in Jethro's throat. Tony began to move his head back and forth in earnest and was able to hear Jethro gasp for breath as his hands pulled on Tony's hair again. He pressed his tongue up the vein, then swirled it around the head. Jethro met him with shallow thrusts again and this time, Tony let him, knowing that the other man had to be close. As if on cue, the grip on his hair got stronger and the thrusts against him more erratic.

"Tony –"

Sucking hard again, Tony took in all of him and then felt Jethro come and swallowed him the best he could. He caught the tiny bit of cum that had escaped the corners of his mouth with his tongue before he looked up again. He was confronted with Jethro's smiling face as he pulled him up into a searing hot kiss, tasting himself in Tony's mouth. He reluctantly backed away after a few moments and lay down next to him, combing his fingers through Jethro's chest hair. He then took the other man's hand in his and guided it towards his own, by now almost painfully hard, cock. He felt Gibbs staring at him and met his gaze, losing himself in the icy blue eyes for a moment. It was only when he felt the other man's callous fingers graze his cock that he broke the eye contact as his head fell back onto the pillows. He heard Jethro chuckle ever so slightly, but he couldn't care less. He had closed his eyes now and let him undo the button of his jeans and then slide it down his thighs. He toed off his socks and then the jeans and boxers, while his focus was solely on the hand that had palmed him now. He let out something that sounded suspiciously like a whine but he was far beyond caring by now.

"God," he pressed out as Jethro started to stroke him and only now did he realize that he had been so turned on from sucking the other man's cock that he wasn't far from coming now.

Jethro moved his hand up and down again and Tony felt himself getting closer to the edge with ever stroke, with every flick of his hand. He reached up his hand and pulled the other man down to kiss him, but Jethro wouldn't let him, instead he started to softly nip at his earlobe, sending shivers down Tony's spine. Jethro rubbed his thumb over the tip and squeezed his hand tighter at the base of his cock.

"Come for me," he then whispered barely audible into his ear and Tony came with a soundless cry all over Jethro's hand and his stomach.

They stayed like that for a few moments, while Tony was trying to catch his breath. Finally, he felt Jethro move as he settled down next to him and pressed a soft kiss onto his cheek. Tony turned ever so slightly and then grinned at the satisfied smirk on the other man's face.

"Well, that was good."

"I'd say so," Jethro replied with a laugh. "If I'll always get this in return whenever I tell someone I'm seeing you, I might consider telling everyone I've ever known."

"You wouldn't dare," Tony replied, taking his hand again. "I think Fornell's face after I mentioned his suit will haunt me in my nightmares forever."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thoughts? Complaints? Reviews? xD_


	21. Trusted

_A/N: Yay me, I've finally managed to post a chapter without any delays... and it's a long one, too! xD No, I hope you like this one and keep on reviewing 'cause your comments always make my day ;)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-One: Trusted<strong>

With every day that passed, Tony felt himself getting more and more comfortable. They had finally settled into a rather satisfying routine without getting bored at the same time. They were still working crazy hours, but had yet managed to go out to dinner a couple of times. Tony had soon realized that he was able to relax around Jethro more than he ever could before. He was more relaxed than he had been around any former girlfriend and that even included his ex-fiancée. Jethro had the ability to make him feel secure with just a quick glance into his direction, with just a seemingly accident brush of his hand against Tony's. But it was not only that. No, Tony was finally feeling comfortable with everything that had happened due to the little things that the other man seemed to constantly do for him. He was sure that Jethro didn't think much about it, but Tony hadn't quite been able to suppress the smile on his face when Jethro had handed him his beloved _Cap'n Crunch _without a word one morning when they had breakfast at his house. Tony couldn't quite place the feeling that had suddenly boiled up in him or the warmth that had rushed to his cheeks. He hadn't commented on it, knowing that Jethro probably didn't think it was a big deal. But it was a huge deal to Tony and it didn't stop at his favorite cereals, either, there was also the cream and the hazelnut flavor he liked in his coffee. Tony tried to return the favor as best as he could, stocking up on the other man's favorite brand of coffee at his own apartment. He knew that he didn't have to, but he realized that he actually like to do stuff like that, liked having him around in the mornings, even though he barely uttered more than a grumpy 'Good morning' before he had drank at least two cups of coffee.

They had also managed to keep Abby largely off their backs. She would ask them questions from time to time, but she never pushed and Tony felt eternally grateful for that. He had made sure that there was a constant flow of Caf!Pows and an extra cup of coffee for Blake whenever he would visit the lab. He knew that Ziva and McGee were wondering about Jones and his relationship a lot, but they hadn't asked. He still didn't really know anything about the guy, but it seemed like he was keeping his mouth shut about them and the least Tony could do to make amends was to bring him the needed caffeine. He was also glad that his co-workers had obviously believed him when he had told them that he wasn't seeing anyone, causing him in return to finally relax at work, too. He knew that Gibbs was still looking at him more often than before, was always trying to team up with him, touched him more frequently and Tony was really okay with that, even if it meant getting a few more undeserved head slaps.

Of course not everything was perfect, but Tony wasn't looking for anything perfect anyway. There had been a few awkward moments when Fornell had stopped by a couple of days previously and Jethro had just gone out to do some grocery shopping. Tony had been forced to make small talk with the guy and didn't think that he was ever happier seeing Jethro return half an hour later. He had, however, felt a weird sense of accomplishment when the FBI agent had actually called him Tony instead of the rather annoying insistence to pronounce his last name the Italian way.

All in all, though, Tony didn't think he ever felt happier than right now. He had someone to come home to, had someone to talk to when things got rough, had someone who always had his back and someone with whom he could let his guard down and just be himself. There was still the tiny annoyance that Jethro still refused to give him more than the good old hand job in bed. But he figured that the older man just needed more time and he couldn't really blame him, either. He knew that it had demanded quite a bit of courage when he had first gone farther than that and just because he had actually enjoyed it, didn't mean that Jethro was as fast in understanding that as he had been. He didn't worry about it much, though, he wouldn't push him, would let him take his time and it wasn't like he hadn't enjoyed the other stuff anyway.

-x-

Oddly enough, they had finally managed to close their most recent case early on Friday afternoon, giving them the actual chance to have the weekend off. Tony couldn't remember the last time they hadn't been on call or chasing a suspect and he only realized now that he actually needed the rest. He had let Gibbs known without a word that he expected him to come over to his apartment when he had packed up his stuff and left the office. He knew that the other man would probably need at least another hour before he could call it a night, too, but that only played into his hands. He had long planed his little surprise for the other guy, but hadn't been able to execute it due to work. But there was nothing to stop him this weekend and he was determined to follow through this time.

-x-

The next day, Tony woke up in the morning, freezing. It took him a few moments before his mind caught up with the fact that Jethro was once again hogging the blanket. Grinning to himself, he inched closer towards the other man, who had his back to him, careful not to wake him up. He spooned up against him and tried to snatch back the cover, but was unsuccessful due to the fact that the other man had a death grip on it. Internally shrugging, Tony took up a stance and then drove his fingers into the spot in between two of Jethro's ribs where he had found out not that long ago that the guy was exceptionally ticklish. Gibbs flinched violently under his touch and cursed sullenly as he tried to get away from him. But Tony wouldn't let him, in fact he had resumed his actions of tickle the other man, not the least bothered about the death glare that he was shooting at him in return. Jethro finally got a hold of Tony's hands and pinned them down above his head as he flipped them over so that he was on top of Tony, his expression changing from angry to being amused. Tony laughed softly, smiling up at him, realizing that he loved the fact that the older man let his guard down with him like that. They looked at each other for a moment, both of them a broad smile on their faces before Jethro subtly shook his head, let go of his hands and rolled off of him.

"Don't do that again," he finally said, apparently trying to sound gruff, but failing miserably.

"I'll stop as soon as you stop hogging the blanket. I'm not keen on freezing in my own bed, Jethro."

That earned him another smile, a rather gentle head slap and then a kiss.

"What do you want to do today?" Jethro finally asked after a few moments, yawning widely.

"Oh, I've got a plan," Tony replied, wiggling his eyebrows. "But I won't tell you what it is. It's a surprise."

"Don't like surprises," the other man replied grumpily as he got out of bed, but Tony wasn't discouraged.

"You'll love this one, trust me. All you need is something warm to wear."

"Fine," Jethro sighed. "'s not like I can say no when you're looking like that anyway."

Tony's lips that had pouted only a second before formed another broad smile as he stored that information away for later use as he followed him out of bed.

"Good to know. And now, hurry up, we don't have all day."

"There's time for coffee, right?" Jethro asked and Tony let out a laugh at the slightly frantic tone of his voice.

"Of course, there is. Do you think my urge to get myself killed by my caffeine-deprived boss is that big?"

-x-

"Still won't tell me what's in your bag?" Gibbs asked an hour later as they were walking towards the outskirts of a forest on a small path that people before them had stomped into the snow.

"Nope, you'll see when we get there," Tony said patiently as he reached out his free hand to grab Jethro's.

"And where's that exactly?"

"You'll see," Tony just replied, ignoring the slight scowl on the other man's face.

He knew after all that Gibbs didn't really mind. Granted, he probably didn't like being out of the loop for once, but he couldn't quite hide the smiles that he kept on throwing at him whenever he thought Tony wasn't paying attention.

After another fifteen minutes, which were filled with comfortable small talk and shared looks, they finally arrived at their destination. Tony heard Jethro groan next to him as they were able to see the small pond in front of them. It was frozen due to the persistent cold temperatures and offered them the perfect surface to –

"You wanna go ice-skating?" Jethro cut through his thoughts and Tony turned to look at him with a sly grin on his lips.

"Yup."

He set the bag he had been carrying with him on the ground and then retrieved two pairs of ice-skates, which he had borrowed from a local sports store. He handed one to Jethro who reluctantly took them, but made no move to pull them on.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to skate, Tony."

"Oh, you will," Tony chuckled. "I know you told me you were no good at it, but I can teach you. Come on, it'll be fun."

He looked at Jethro, not the least intimidated by the pained expression on the man's face.

"I don't see how me falling on my ass can be fun."

"I'll catch you if you fall, I promise," Tony just replied, the pout back on his face. "Just try. Pretty please?"

Jethro shook his head and Tony was almost able to see the determination not to give in to him crumble away. He let out a triumphant 'yes' when Jethro finally bent over and pulled on the skates.

Tony held out a hand when Jethro was finally done and then carefully pulled him onto the ice with him. He needed a second to steady himself and could easily see why Jethro hadn't exactly been keen on going onto the ice before. He was clutching Tony's shoulder tightly as he tried to get some kind of grip under his feet. Tony smiled at him and secretly marveled at the fact there was actually something that the older man wasn't particularly good at. His own arm came around Jethro's waist now as he steadied him.

"You good to go?" he asked barely above a whisper.

"I'll get you back for that, you know that, right?" came back Jethro's grumpy reply, but once again his eyes, that were sparkling rather contently at him, gave the fact away that he didn't mind all that much.

"Yeah, whatever," Tony dismissed it with a laugh and wave of his hand. "Come on now. We have to take advantage of the fact that nobody's here, yet."

He pulled his arm away and instead took Jethro's hand again, carefully guiding him a few steps forwards. Gibbs came willingly with him, causing Tony to suddenly feel all tingly inside as he realized that the other man actually trusted him to take the lead in this. He had known before that that he had the other man's trust, but it was nice to see that he was actually acting on it, too.

The first few steps were rather shaky, but after a little while, Jethro seemed to get the grip on how it was done. Tony carefully pulled his hand away and then skated away from him ever so slightly, making sure that he could show the other man just how much better he was at this than him. Jethro made a rather disgruntled sound, but skated towards him nonetheless, losing a bit of the tension in his shoulders as he apparently realized that this wasn't all that bad considering. They moved around the pond a couple of times and by the time they had made their fifth round, Tony was sure that Jethro actually enjoyed himself. He was still swaying from time to time, but he had gotten better at catching up on Tony, whenever he had made a show of getting away from as quickly as possible.

"Admit it," Tony said, laughing at him. "This is fun."

"Yeah," Jethro replied and moved closer ever so slowly. "This isn't half bad."

"I'll take that as a yes, this is fun," Tony laughed.

Jethro stopped dead in his tracks for a moment and looked at Tony with such intensity that he momentarily forgot how to breathe. He returned the gaze just as intently and then let out a yelp, when the older man suddenly moved again, quicker this time. Tony just wanted to turn around and let himself be chased as Jethro suddenly stumbled over an invisible obstacle on the ice. Tony turned just in time to catch him, but couldn't prevent both of them from losing their balance. He landed on his back with a thud, having knocked the breath out of him. Jethro followed close behind, landing on top of him with a wince. Tony stared at the other man for a moment, wanting to apologize before he felt him tremble above him. He looked closer now and realized that his shoulders were shaking with laughter and as he looked up into Jethro's face, he was able to see him smiling brilliantly. He couldn't help but join in now as a fit of laughter seemed to overwhelm him all of a sudden.

They stayed like that for a long time until Tony's green eyes finally found the icy blue ones, causing the other man to sober so quickly and out of the blue that he briefly wondered what he had done wrong now. But then, Jethro's hands reached up to cup both sides of his head and he then leaned down to kiss him. It was a slow kiss, gentle and sweet, nothing like any of the kisses that they had shared before and Tony was momentarily unable to focus on anything but those warm lips upon his own. It was only when Tony felt himself shiver that they broke apart and picked themselves up from the icy surface.

"Better get home, huh?" Gibbs finally offered, still slightly out of breath, his voice rough.

"Yeah, we better."

-x-

By the time they finally reached Tony's apartment building he was feeling like he had been petrified in an ice block for at least a century. Of course, the fact that he had been shivering all the way back hadn't slipped Jethro's attention and Tony saw himself faced with concerned looks, very similar to those back at the motel when he had suffered from the flu. He let out a relieved sigh when the other man closed the door behind them and he immediately started to strip his wet coat and pullover.

"I better get a hot shower before I'll get all Yeti on you," Tony joked as he shucked his jeans.

"I know a better way to warm you up," Gibbs' lips were suddenly right next to his ear and Tony turned around to look at the guy, whose eyes were darker than usual as his arms came around his waist.

"Oh yeah?" Tony whispered back and shivered again, but this time it wasn't due to the cold.

"Uh-huh," Jethro just replied and then leaned in to meet his lips in a searing hot kiss.

They stumbled more towards the bedroom than they actually walked, losing Jethro's clothes on the way until they both were only clad in boxers. Gibbs then all but threw him onto the bed and then was on top of him, kissing him fiercely. For once, the other man was in complete control, his tongue exploring Tony's mouth with skill and confidence and Tony realized that he liked it a lot. Gibbs' hands were everywhere, seemingly touching every inch of his body, the touches deft, certain and yet soft. Tony moaned into the kiss, slightly surprised by the other man taking control like that. Taking the opportunity, Gibbs broke their kiss and nibbled his way to Tony's ear. He sucked on the lobe and bit down on it gently, eliciting a gasp from him. Tony shuddered under his every touch and let out a shaky laugh when Gibbs continued to bite down on his neck, trailing his way towards the collarbone.

"God," Tony let out as Gibbs suddenly stopped his actions for a moment and slid down against Tony's body.

He shivered once again at the brush of Jethro's chest hair against his own, tickling and teasing everything it touched. Briefly Tony wondered how he could be so aroused by those simple actions, but lost his train of thought when Gibbs began to play with his nipples, pinching them, rolling them between his fingers and sucking at them. He was so distracted by that, that he was surprised when Jethro slid down even further, tugging at the waistband of Tony's boxers. His head barely visibly underneath the covers, Gibbs looked up at him, a brilliant smile on his face when he finally succeeded in getting rid of Tony's boxer shorts.

"You don't have to…," Tony wanted to offer him the chance to back away from this, even though every fiber of his being protested loudly against it, but he wasn't even able to finish his sentence as he felt the other man's mouth wrap around his hard cock.

Wet heat surrounded him and all his thoughts and words left him instantly. He groaned somewhere deep in his chest when Gibbs flicked his tongue and it felt so amazing that he had to work hard to keep himself in check to not thrust up into his mouth. Apparently realizing the dilemma he was in, Gibbs grabbed his hips, holding him firmly in place as he sucked his way up and down his cock. Jethro had been holding out on him, Tony realized as he teased the slit, the tip of Gibbs' tongue darting in and then across it, driving him out of his mind. He resumed doing that over and over, only alternating it with sucking hard and then backing off and then start it all over again.

"Jethro," the younger man pressed out, not even sure what he wanted to say in the first place, but it didn't matter anyway because right at that moment, Gibbs sucked hard once again and then swallowed him whole.

Taken by surprise, Tony shuddered violently, desperately trying to hold on because it was feeling so damn good that he had trouble believing that the other guy had never done it before, but then again, when had Jethro ever been doing something badly? As if on cue, Gibbs' hand moved towards Tony's balls and started to play with them.

"God," Tony repeated himself and then cried out when Gibbs' fingers touched exactly the right spot behind his balls.

Tony felt the world around him shatter as he fought for control, but he had no chance. With on last flick of his tongue, Gibbs sent him over the edge, leaving Tony without a coherent thought for more than a few moments. When he finally recovered, Gibbs was already lying next to him, one arm draped over his stomach.

"Wow," Tony breathed out and leaned closer to kiss him tenderly.

He knew that he should probably return the favor, but he felt so boneless at the moment that he wasn't entirely sure whether he could actually move. As if having read Tony's thoughts, Gibbs turned to look at him, a brilliant smile on his lips.

"Don't worry about it now. Weekend's still ahead of us."

-x-

Sometime in the late afternoon, they finally managed to get up again. They had lain in bed for what felt like forever, snuggling up in each other, savoring in each other's warmth. They hadn't talked all that much, but for once Tony didn't need the words to feel comfortable, to feel safe. All that mattered was that he had Gibbs right there next to him and he knew that he didn't want to let go of him ever again. But his stomach had reminded him loudly that he hadn't eaten anything all day, so he had reluctantly called his favorite Italian restaurant that delivered and had then taken a quick shower. He felt slightly drowsy nonetheless as he tried to organize the chaos in the kitchen while he was waiting for the delivery guy to show up with their pizzas. Jethro had opted to shower, too, leaving Tony to do the dishes. He didn't particularly mind, it was his mess after all, but he couldn't suppress the relieved sigh, when he heard the door bell ring. He hurried to get to the door before he realized that he was just wearing his boxers. Quickly grabbing the jeans he had carelessly discarded earlier, he jumped into them and then opened the door to his apartment, the wallet already in his hands.

He stopped dead in his tracks, however, when he caught sight of the guy standing in front of him. It wasn't the pizza delivery boy, but none other than McGee, who had a slight smirk on his face as he looked at Tony's attire – or lack thereof.

"Oh hey, McGee," Tony finally said, practically yelling out the name at the end, hoping that Gibbs would hear him in the bathroom. "What are you doing here?"

"I won't be long," McGee shrugged apologetically. "I just need your signature as the Senior Field Agent. I know I'm not supposed to bother you on the weekends, but it's kind of urgent and I really need to hand that report in by tonight or Vance will kill me."

"No problem, Probie," Tony replied, still talking louder than strictly necessary.

At least, the shower had stopped running. He was pretty sure that Gibbs must have heard him and would stay where he was until Tim had left again. He quickly scanned McGee's report, but wasn't able to understand all that much as it was composed in the computer geek's usual vernacular. He signed it anyway, knowing that McGee's reports were usually twice as thorough as his own and wanted to hand it back to the younger man, but he seemed to be preoccupied with something else entirely. His gaze was fixed on the light blue polo-shirt that was lying in a bundle on the floor, where Tony had pulled it from Jethro's body earlier. McGee's glance shifted now to stare at Tony for a short moment before it quickly flickered away from him, coming to a rest on Gibbs' overnight bag that had been carelessly discarded into the far left corner the night before.

"Uh, I can explain that," Tony finally spluttered when McGee had turned towards him again, his eyes wide. "The power's out at Gibbs' place. You know the pipes have to pretty old and stuff… and I don't know… he couldn't fix it right away, so I offered him a place to stay."

Tim stared at him, furrowing a brow, his glance resting on Tony's bare chest for a moment before he visibly shook himself and nodded.

"Okay."

Tony let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding. He knew, of course, that the probie wasn't entirely convinced, but it didn't seem as if he was suspecting that there could be something going on between Gibbs and Tony. It was after all still a bit far-fetched to even give the possibility a thought, at least from McGee's point of view.

He was just about to hand the report back to him in order to get rid of him as quickly as possible when he heard the door to his bathroom open, causing his heart to skip a beat. Mesmerized, he gaped at Gibbs who had stepped into the living-room, a towel around his waist and currently rubbing his hair dry with another one. He didn't look up as he progressed further into the living-room.

"Hey Tony," he said and Tony, out of the corners of his eyes, saw McGee take a step backwards. "Can we eat the pizza on the bed? I'm not exactly keen on getting dressed before we…"

He trailed off now as he had finally looked up. He had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at McGee, whose cheeks were flushed to crimson and whose breathing had become rather shallow.

"B-Boss?"

Tony felt the blood drain from his own face as he averted his glance from Jethro's wide and frightened eyes to look at Tim instead. He took a step towards him, but the younger man shied away from him, so Tony remained standing riveted to the spot, not daring to scare the poor guy even more. The seconds went by and still no one had said anything, so Tony finally braced himself and cleared his throat, apparently startling Tim out of his trance-like state.

"Would you still believe me if I told you his power's out?" he tried to joke, but regretted it as soon as the words were out of his mouth because McGee's expression had suddenly changed from confused to pissed.

Tony tried to take another step towards him, but Tim just held up a hand to tell him to stop, so Tony refrained, trying to figure out what to do. He quickly glanced at Gibbs, but the guy was still standing there, his cheeks slightly flushed, his eyes still wide.

"McGee?" Tony tried again.

"No," the junior agent finally said something. "No, don't you even dare to talk to me."

And with that, he turned around and let the door fall shut behind him with a loud bang.

Tony hurried to run after him, but as soon as he had opened the door again, he realized that he wasn't even wearing the appropriate clothes to go outside.

"Don't," he heard Gibbs' rather soft voice right behind him. "He wouldn't talk to us right now anyway. Let him blow off some steam, okay?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thoughts? ;)_


	22. Shattered

_A/N: Okay, wow... so many reviews! :) Thank you so much! Really, you guys are awesome... I hope the next chapter lives up to your expectations xD_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Two: Shattered<strong>

Tony turned around and saw him immediately engaged in a tight embrace. He wrapped his own arms around the other man's waist, burying his head in Gibbs' shoulder. McGee's enraged expression and the cold 'No' just wouldn't vanish from his mind, no matter how long Jethro would soothingly stroke his back. Tony didn't know what to think of first. He simply hadn't been ready for this, for telling anyone. Talking to Abby had been hard enough and she was the most open-minded person Tony knew. Blake knowing hadn't been that much of a problem either because Tony didn't know him and therefore the kid couldn't possibly say anything that would hurt him in any way, he could easily ignore him after all. But with McGee that was a whole different kind of problem.

He felt Jethro brush his cheek against his hair and heard him sigh ever so softly. Despite the tight grip the other man had on him, he was still able to feel the slightly accelerated heartbeat and his rather shallow breathing. Tony was just about to let go of him to take a close look at him, when a knock was to be heard again. His heart skipped a beat as he almost ran the few steps to the door, his heart beating furiously. Did McGee really come back and was willing to talk to them? Was there actually the chance to make it up to him? Tony yanked the door open, a happy 'McGee' already on his lips, but then fell silent as he realized that it wasn't his co-worker who was standing in front of him. A slightly startled teenager boy was looking at him with wide eyes, two boxes of pizza in his hand.

"Mr. DiNozzo?" he all but stuttered, carefully not to look at him.

"Yeah," Tony sighed, reaching for his wallet. "What do I owe you?"

He paid the guy, trying to give him an apologetic smile for having scared him before, closed the door behind him and then all but threw the pizzas on the coffee table, suddenly not feeling hungry at all. He looked around for a moment, wondering where Jethro had gone to, as the other man emerged from the bedroom again, wearing a pair of Tony's old sweats and a white t-shirt. His cheeks were still slightly flushed, his hair a mess and those usually icy blue eyes seemed to be darker than usual. He barely looked at him before he started pacing around the room, alternately running his hand through his hair and staring out the window. Tony watched him for a while, trying to keep his tumbling thoughts in control and failing miserably. He finally flopped down on the couch as he realized that the other guy's pacing made him even more nervous. He kept on sitting there for a while, absent-mindedly chewing on a slice of the pizza for lack of other options until he finally let out a soft sigh, which promptly caused Jethro to stop walking around as he looked at him.

Tony met his gaze squarely and realized that not talking to each other wouldn't probably help them out of this predicament either. He reached out his left arm and waved him nearer and after a moment of obvious hesitation, Jethro moved towards him, the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. He was just about to sit down on the couch next to him as Tony grabbed him by the hips and shifted himself so that the older man was sitting in between his legs. He heard him chuckle ever so slightly and then felt him relax as Tony pulled his arms around him. Jethro leaned into him, his back flush against Tony's chest as he settled in.

"Feels kind of weird," he said as he interlaced his fingers with Tony's. "I'm not a woman, Tony."

Tony grinned humorlessly and then let his chin rest on the other man's shoulder as he answered.

"I noticed."

They stayed silent after that for a long time, but Tony felt himself finally calm down a notch. His gut was still churning uncomfortably and he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to do now, but the other man's mere presence in his arms soothed him somehow. Finally, Jethro's breathing got decidedly more evenly and relaxed and it didn't take long until he finally spoke again.

"What do we do now?"

Tony's heart immediately grew heavier at the sound of his voice. It had lost all its usual edge, instead it was soft now and Tony even considered it beat, hurt. He had never heard him talk like that before and he realized that McGee's reaction had surprised Jethro just as much.

"I don't know," he finally whispered, clutching the other man's hand even more tightly. "Maybe we should give him a call?"

"Worth a try, I guess," Jethro replied, but didn't sound convinced.

Tony picked up his phone nonetheless, hit speed dial number three and then listened to the dial tone. After seven beeps he was forwarded to his voice mail. Sighing loudly, he decided to leave him a message, already sure that McGee wouldn't listen to it anyway.

"Tim, hi. It's Tony. Call me back, will you? Or Gibbs. Either way, we really want to talk to you, okay? Please."

He hung up and threw the phone back onto the coffee table, his hands coming around Jethro's waist and the other man instantly melted into the touch again.

"Damn it, there's a rule about not being unreachable. He should have picked up."

"We're not on call, Tony," Gibbs reasoned with him, but his voice was lacking its usual vigor. "The rules only apply to work-related issues."

"I know," he sighed in response. "Why d'you think he's so angry? I mean I get it that he was surprised seeing you here and that we didn't tell him and stuff, but the way he looked at me… I've never seen him like that ever."

"I know," Gibbs replied, but didn't continue, leaving Tony even more restless inside.

"Scared me," he finally confessed after a while and felt Jethro nod more than he actually saw it.

"Me, too. I never pegged him as someone who would have a problem with stuff like this."

"Hmm," Tony just replied, furrowing a brow. "I don't think that's it, though. Abby would never tolerate any… you know… homophobic behavior and I honestly never heard or seen him say anything disrespectful. Have you?"

"No," came back the hesitant answer and Tony immediately knew that there was more to it than only that.

"But?" he asked softly.

"I don't know… it's just, he never even looked at me, you know. It was all directed towards you."

Tony tensed up as he realized that it was true. Those few words that McGee had said were spoken to him as if he had been the only one, who had lied to him, betrayed him or whatever. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he had done exactly that. He had lied to him – and Ziva for that matter – when they had asked whether he was seeing somebody. Granted, they had asked whether there was a girlfriend, but it didn't make that much difference. He had blatantly lied to his face without batting an eyelash. That was all his doing and he realized only now that he had done all of that alone and that Jethro had nothing to do with that.

But was that really the reason why McGee had left the way he did? Tony would have preferred any kind of reaction than those few cold and harsh words that had been directed at him. He would have preferred being shouted at, hell, he actually would have liked getting hit more than that.

As if having read his thoughts again, Jethro leaned into him again, one hand reaching up to awkwardly comb through his hair as he whispered softly.

"You're not a bad person, Tony. You just wanted to protect us and it's not your fault alone. We're in this together and we'll figure it out, okay?"

"Okay," Tony just replied, fervently hoping that Jethro was actually this sure of himself as he sounded right at that moment.

-x-

They had gone to bed eventually, but Tony hadn't been able to fall asleep. He just kept on lying there stiffly, staring up at the ceiling, desperately hoping his cell would finally ring. He was pretty sure that Jethro was lying awake next to him. He usually tossed around in bed when he was asleep, but tonight he hadn't moved as much as an inch ever since he had given him a kiss good night. Sighing, Tony finally turned, squinted at his alarm clock that read three o'clock in the morning and then finally moved towards the other man to lay his head on his chest. The arm that was instantly pulled around his waist was a sure sign that the guy hadn't been sleeping, either. Tony relaxed instantly, at least to a certain degree, as he was able to smell the man's unique scent and feel the steady heart beat right beneath his ear.

"What if he doesn't accept it, Jethro?" he finally let out his biggest concern that made his insides clench at the mere thought of it.

"I don't know," came back the equally quiet answer as a hand began to stroke his hair. "But whatever happens, I won't let you go."

Tony's heart skipped a beat or two. He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth and he turned his head ever so slightly, so that his chin was resting on Jethro's chest.

"Even if he goes to Vance and tells him about it?"

Jethro remained silent at that and furrowed his brow before he delivered a not so gentle head slap.

"What was that for?" Tony asked, rubbing the spot where he had just been hit.

"Don't even think about it. Firstly, McGee's still your friend and however angry he might be at the moment, he'd never do anything like that and secondly, what does Vance knowing about us or hell, threatening to fire us or whatever, have to do with the two of us? I'm not with you because I want to piss off the authorities, but because I like you and want to be here, you got that?"

"I know," Tony replied rather sheepishly and placed a soft kiss onto the other man's chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything… I'm just so… I don't even know. This sucks and it's all my fault."

"Our fault," Jethro corrected him, but nevertheless ran his fingers softly through Tony's hair.

"Doesn't make much difference," Tony huffed as he tried to get more comfortable because he felt sleep finally starting to draw him in.

"No, Tony, it makes all the difference."

-x-

"Stop fidgeting, it'll be alright," Jethro whispered into his ear early the next morning, his hand resting on Tony's shoulder as they were standing in front of McGee's apartment door.

They had decided to stop by at his place, knowing that they had to talk to him before they had to return to work on Monday. Tony had been quiet on the drive for once as he still had no idea how McGee would react to them showing up at his apartment unannounced.

"You sure about that?" he finally asked as he raised his hand to knock.

"I hope so."

They had to wait for a few moments before they were able to hear faint footsteps from inside and then the door was opened to reveal a rather pale McGee. For a second, Tony thought that the younger man would shut the door in their faces, so angrily was the guy staring at them, but then, McGee stepped aside with a shake of his head to let them in.

"What do you want?" he finally asked as he sat down on one of the chairs in front of his computer, not making any offer to them to do the same.

"We would like to talk to you," Jethro started, his voice once again missing its usual edge, which in return made Tony even more nervous.

"Talk about what?" McGee replied, his voice rising. "Don't tell me you're sorry."

"We are," Jethro replied calmly, staring at him.

"Yeah, that I caught you," Tim retorted with a humorless chuckle.

"That's not true," Tony started, but stopped as the younger man held up his hand.

They remained silent for a couple of awkward moments before Tim cleared his throat and then stared right back at Tony who had the strong urge to flinch away from the eye contact, but held it up anyway, knowing that he owed it to the guy.

"Since when are you…?" McGee finally spoke up again.

"The Carrey case," Tony answered without hesitation as he had sworn to himself not to lie any longer. "When the two of us were…"

"Snowed in," Tim cut him off and nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah."

"Who else knows?" he continued with his questions, his voice still as cold as it had been back at Tony's apartment.

"Abby… and Blake, but only because he saw us and had to blab. We really didn't mean to leave you out or anything."

"So, why did you?"

"I don't know," Tony exclaimed, starting to get slightly annoyed that the other man wouldn't even let him finish his sentences. "This thing is still so new and weird. I guess we wanted to be sure that it'll work out before we go and tell the whole world about it."

McGee remained silent once again and Tony didn't dare to break the quietness for once. He felt oddly devastated by now, realizing that Tim clearly didn't believe him. He quickly glanced at Jethro who stood rooted to the spot, but was staring right back at him, a slightly frantic expression on his face and Tony knew that they were doomed if he wouldn't be able to explain it all.

"Look, Tim," he finally spoke up again, seeing his hopes dashing away. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you."

"No, Tony. You didn't just not tell me, but you lied straight to my face and I don't even know why. You know you can trust me with stuff like that. I thought I was your friend, damn it!"

"You are," Tony frantically replied, desperately craving any sort of physical contact with Jethro who seemed to have read his thoughts once again and brushed his hand briefly against his.

"Great way of showing me that," Tim spat, standing up.

"I'm sorry, okay? Tell me what I need to do to make it up to you."

He felt is insides clench as Tim continued to look at him with an expression that Tony had never seen on his face before. He almost seemed disgusted by his peace offer, but Tony didn't know what else to say, what else to do. He had just opened his mouth as Gibbs beat him to talking.

"Look McGee, we messed up. We know that, but we can't offer you more than an apology. I'll invite the rest of the team for dinner at my house tonight at seven to talk to them about Tony and me. If you're able to put our foolish behavior behind you, you're welcome to join us. I hope you'll be there and back us up. I know it's an awful lot to ask right now, but I really hope you do because it'll mean a lot to me and I'm sure to Tony, too. You have to decide whether you want to be there or not. If you won't show up, nothing's going to change at work, if that's what you're worried about. Your choice."

Tony stared at Jethro for a few moments, his mouth hanging open ever so slightly. They hadn't talked about telling the rest of team, but he knew that they probably had to and regarding how McGee had reacted, he knew that it was the reasonable thing to do. But what had surprised him even more was the fact that the older man had actually talked about how he was feeling. He had rarely done that with him, only when it had strictly been necessary and Tony understood that because it wasn't like he, himself, was great at expressing his feelings. But that Jethro had just told McGee how he was feeling about this, had his heart beating furiously and the warmth rush to his cheeks. He was about to grab the other man's hand to make him understand how much that meant to him as his glance reached McGee, who had become, if possible, even paler at Gibbs' words.

Then, McGee almost imperceptibly shook his head and walked towards his door, holding it open for them. Tony looked at Gibbs who just nodded at him and then followed him out of the apartment. He stopped as he was right next to Tim, however, feeling like he hadn't told him anything, like he hadn't explained this whole thing efficiently enough to make him understand just how sorry he was that he hadn't told him, and yet not sorry that he had started this thing with Jethro in the first place. He could hear Gibbs' footsteps already on the stairs as he turned towards McGee, who was staring at him with a grim expression on his face.

"Look, I know all of this seems weird. But I wouldn't have started this whole thing if I hadn't been sure it was the right thing to do. I know we haven't handled it very well and I'm sorry about that. But I just want to let you know that this isn't just about getting my rocks off, I would have never risked anything like that if I just wanted to have fun. I'm… I mean… I love him, Tim."

He stopped talking, his gaze fixed on McGee, whose eyes had suddenly grown huge. Then, the other man finally nodded once and Tony got the clue and followed Jethro out the door.

-x-

A couple of hours later, Tony paced around Jethro's living room as he waited for the others to arrive. Luckily they had been able to reach everyone – even Palmer had promised to be there, even though Tony had the strong suspicion that he just wanted to get away from the meeting with Breena's parents and having met her father, Tony couldn't really blame him. He felt a hand upon his shoulder and stopped walking to turn around to look at Jethro instead, who smiled at him ever so slightly.

"You ready?" he asked and pressed a soft kiss on Tony's cheek.

"As ready as I can be, I guess," Tony answered, leaning into the touch.

He knew that they had no other choice but to tell them the truth and he had come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be all that bad if the others knew about them. He knew that Ziva and Abby would probably tease him for all times to come, that Ducky would start one of his monologues about any gay couple that he had ever known and that Jimmy would probably blush to crimson and not look at Jethro for at least a month, but he also knew that it couldn't possibly go worse than the thing with McGee.

"It won't be that bad," Jethro gave him a small smile and Tony could almost see the determination radiate from him.

Tony was just about to answer as they heard the front door open and Ducky and Jimmy stepped in, effectively breaking their moment. They hurried to offer them something to drink, all the while listen to one of Jimmy's story about his in-laws. Tony let the words wash over him, his glance wandering towards the door every other minute or so, hoping that Tim would come walking in like nothing had ever happened. It was already half past seven when Ziva and Abby finally arrived, claiming that traffic had been horrible. Tony suspected there was something else behind that excuse, especially regarding the fact that it was Sunday, but didn't call them up on it, knowing that he probably didn't want to know anyway.

He felt a hand on the small of his back and turned ever so slightly to look at Gibbs, who was smiling at him at the moment, but Tony was able to see the sorrow in his eyes. Glancing at his watch, he sighed as he realized that it was already a quarter to eight. As long as he had known McGee, he had never been late to anything and his heart suddenly missed a beat or two.

"So, Jethro," Ducky interrupted his train of thought. "Not that I don't like a small get together like this, but I assume you and Tony had a reason to invite us?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied as he sat down on one of the remaining chairs around his kitchen table, motioning Tony to do the same. With one last look towards the front door, he followed suit, feeling an uncomfortable feeling spread in his stomach.

"Wait," Abby interrupted, a broad smile on her face as he looked around the table. "Shouldn't we wait for Timmy to arrive?"

Tony stared at her for a moment, feeling decidedly sick by now. He had really thought that Tim would show up, had really hoped he'd be there. He blinked a few times as he felt sudden and pathetic tears threaten to escape his eyes at the sheer disappointment that crept up on him. Almost unconsciously, he moved closer towards Jethro, who had, just like Tony, tensed at Abby's words. Their shoulders were touching now and as Tony looked at him for a few moments, he could see the same kind of devastation that he was feeling mirrored in the other man's eyes. He cleared his throat and then finally answered, his voice quiet and rough.

"I guess he won't come."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be awesome! xD_


	23. Talked

_A/N: As always, a huge thank you to everyone that read and reviewed the last chapter! :) _

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Three: Talked<strong>

"_I guess he won't come."_

Tony stared at Abby, whose eyebrows were knitted and whose eyes somehow managed to grow huger, which gave her an odd cartoon character look. Tony would have laughed at her if it wasn't for that lump in his throat that almost choked him up.

"But," Abby started, her voice a pitch too high. "He knows why we're here, right?"

Tony nodded and watched Abby's expression change from comical to angry in mere seconds. He was just about to open his mouth to answer sufficiently when Jethro beat him to talking.

"He's the reason actually."

"And he's still not coming?"

"Doesn't look like it," Tony answered only above a whisper, feeling his insides clench again as he looked away from Abby to Ziva, who was sitting there with a slightly irritated expression on her face.

It was mostly her possible reaction that had Tony still on edge. After all, he had lied to her just as much as he had lied to McGee and even though he knew for sure that Ziva didn't have a problem with homosexuality at all, he wasn't quite sure how she would react to being lied to. She had been told too many lies in her life and Tony felt slightly uncomfortable after everything that had happened between the two of them. He was roused from his inner angst by Abby rummaging loudly through her bag until she retrieved her cell phone.

"I'll call him, his behavior is unacceptable."

"No," Gibbs interrupted her. "Don't. We offered him the choice and he decided not to come. This is not your fight and don't be mad at him, it's our fault."

Abby stared at him for a moment before she nodded, her glance straying towards Tony now, who nodded ever so slightly, trying to convey the message that he was thinking the very same thing, while deep inside of him, he knew, that he really wanted her to shout at their co-worker. But he also knew that he had no right to do so, none at all. He briefly glanced at Jethro next to him and almost unconsciously leaned a bit into him, so that their shoulders were touching once again. He felt more relaxed immediately, even though every nerve in his body seemed to be electrified.

"What are we missing here?" Palmer finally spoke up and Tony turned towards him, trying to give him a smile but wasn't entirely sure his lips even twitched.

"There's something I need to tell you guys," he started, but was instantly interrupted by Jethro.

"_We_ need to tell you," he corrected and then shifted ever so slightly to look at Tony as he all but whispered. "You ready?"

"No," Tony let out a strangled laugh. "But I'll never be, so let's get this over with."

"Okay," Gibbs nodded and then turned to look at the others again, who were staring at the two of them at the moment, confusion clearly written all over their faces. "We – that is Tony and me – have to tell you something. We have kept it a secret for a while now and I hope you understand our reasons for doing so."

Tony leaned into the touch a little more and felt Gibbs take a deep breath next to him, but didn't continue to talk. Sighing, Tony scrubbed a hand over his face before he boldly reached for the other man's hand and was slightly surprised when the guy not only took it, but squeezed it, too. He looked at their joined hands to gather up the courage to talk to the others again as Ziva suddenly cleared her throat.

"Gibbs is your not-girlfriend, yes?"

Tony gave a soft start as he looked up at her and felt his heart actually skip a beat as he saw her smiling at him ever so slightly. Gibbs squeezed his hand once more and Tony let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding. He stared right back at her for a few moments, trying to find some evidence in her face that she was mad at them, but couldn't see anything. She was still smiling at him, her brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"That explains so many things."

"What things?" Gibbs replied and shifted on his chair ever so slightly.

Tony couldn't blame him, after all, he had thought that they had kept their relationship away from the office and that nothing had changed there, but apparently the ninja had picked up on stuff nonetheless.

"I do not know exactly," Ziva replied slowly. "It is the little things. Tony does not tease us the way he used to and he is not constantly begging for your attention. I am sure neither of you two has noticed it, but you are working together a little better, you are in total sync all of a sudden. And I must forget the head slaps."

"What about them?" Gibbs asked and Tony could easily hear the confusion in his voice.

"They are more frequent," Ziva chuckled and earned herself a gentle blow in the ribs by Abby.

"And how is that a sign that Gibbs and I are involved?" Tony retorted, not quite able to hide the slight smirk on his face.

"More physical contact," Abby answered. "Just like you were doing before, bumping your shoulders together and stuff. So obvious."

Jethro let out a snort next to him and Tony turned to look at him again, suddenly feeling gigantic rocks falling from his chest. The older man looked more relaxed now and Tony knew why. He had really dreaded Ziva's reaction, so that her seemingly easy acceptance consequently came as a huge relief now. Not quite believing his luck, he asked,

"But you're okay with this? With us?"

"Yes, Tony. Nothing has changed at work and as long as there is no favoritism, I am okay with this. And I know Gibbs. He does not do favorites, so I do not have the slightest concern. I am glad that you two found each other."

Tony blinked rather rapidly now and gulped audibly before he nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. He saw her return the gesture, comprehension mirroring in her eyes.

"Thanks," Gibbs finally said and then turned towards Ducky who had been strikingly silent during their conversation. "You okay with this, too?"

"Of course, my dear Jethro," the ME answered and held out his hand, which Jethro took instantly, even if that meant letting go off Tony's for a moment. "I cannot say I quite have Ziva's observation skills, so the fact that you two have been seeing each other has somehow slipped my attention. But I am very delighted to see the two of you rather happy for once. It has been a long time."

Tony gave him a smile and then was slightly startled, when Jimmy caught his eye.

"I'm happy for you, too, Tony," he stuttered, averting his glance to stare at his hands instead. "And for you, too… Agent Gibbs."

Tony grinned ever so slightly as the young man had turned bright red at his last words and realized that he was reacting just like he thought he would – reverting to the clumsy and stuttering assistant, who wouldn't be able to look at Jethro for at least a month.

"Thanks, Palmer," Gibbs said, his voice rather quiet, but he, too, was smirking at the young man.

"I take it, you already knew, Abigail?" Ducky cut through his thoughts, just as Gibbs had taken his hand again, slightly startling Tony as he hadn't pegged him for someone who liked a public display like that.

"Yeah, I found out by accident. Or actually Blake did and told me. You know… all that stuff, he told me, I told them, blah blah. Anyway, I'm so excited I finally get to talk to people about it because I think this is the biggest thing since Frankie said relax."

Tony chuckled at the incomprehension on Jethro's face, but didn't care to explain for the moment as he grinned at Abby.

"Frankie, really? Getting old, are we?"

"Shut it, Tony," she gave back. "Last time I checked you were older than me."

He was just about to retort something when Ducky suddenly cleared his throat, causing him to fall silent, turning towards the doctor once again.

"What about our Timothy? What was that, that he is the reason we are all here tonight?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed, the cheerful mood from only seconds ago vanished completely. "He, uh, caught us. I mean, he stopped by at my apartment yesterday when Jethro just stepped out of my shower. He wasn't exactly amused about it."

"But why?" Ziva asked. "He is not homophobic at all."

"Yeah, that's what we thought, too."

"You sure, I shouldn't call him?" Abby chimed in again. "I mean, it's one thing to be rude at you, but he's being rude to us all by extension."

"No, Abs," Gibbs spoke up again, once again squeezing Tony's hand. "Don't. He has to come around on his own accord. It's his decision - not ours or yours to make."

Abby fell silent for a few moments and Tony took the chance to look at Jethro instead. While he was looking decidedly more relaxed than at the beginning of their talk, his brows were still furrowed, making him suddenly look a few years older. Tony didn't know how he was supposed to make him feel better, but he couldn't delve in the thought for too long before Abby spoke again.

"Why are you two so calm about this? If it were me, I'd shout at him and head slap him into 2030."

"We got no right to do so, Abby," Tony answered slowly. "How can we be mad if we lied to him all this time?"

Abby opened her mouth and closed it again as a heavy silence suddenly settled over them. They stayed like that for a seemingly long time, causing Tony's heart to sink as he thought about the possibility that McGee might never be able to forgive him. He knew that he hadn't always been the easiest to work with, but he had thought that beyond all the pranks and all the teasing, they were friends. He knew, of course, that he should have told him about this thing earlier, but he hadn't done it in spite, but because he wanted to protect Jethro and himself. Looking over at the other man, he realized that he was staring right back at him. Their eyes connected for a moment and Tony saw the brighter than usual blue eyes shimmer ever so slightly. He was just about to say something, even though he had no clue what exactly, when the door bell rang.

He quickly jumped up, hoping that it would be McGee standing out there. He knew that he probably wouldn't ring the bell, but well, stranger things had happened, right? He quickly made his way towards the door and opened it, his heart beating a mile a minute. But once again that day, his hopes were smashed as the pizza delivery guy grinned up at him. Tony paid him and then carried the pizzas back into the kitchen.

"Dinner is served, Ladies and Gentlemen," he said, trying to keep his voice as light as possible in order not to let his disappointment show. "Dig in."

-x-

The topic of their conversations had drifted towards less serious topics during dinner and afterwards when they had moved into the living room. Tony knew that he should have been glad that they were so understanding and supporting, but he still wasn't quite able to enjoy himself, despite Abby's best efforts. He was feeling tense and suddenly overwhelmed by all the emotions that were raging inside of him. He had barely had the chance to talk to Jethro all evening, causing him to feel even more restless because all he really needed was a soothing word from the other man, telling him that it would all work out eventually.

He was still hanging in his thoughts, only half listening to one of Ducky's tales when he felt a tug on his elbow. He turned around and saw Ziva standing next to him, motioning him to follow her into the kitchen. He got up and did exactly that, curious of what she had to say to him.

"What's up?" he asked nonchalantly, when they both sat down next to each other.

"Nothing," she slowly said. "I just want to make sure of something. Are you happy?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed, trying not to think about McGee. "I really am. Jethro… makes me feel… I don't know… safe and secure, I guess. I know I can go home to him and forget all the other crap."

Ziva smiled at him and Tony realized just now that he was doing the exact same thing. He had known before, of course, that he was happy with the other man, but he had never expressed it before and suddenly couldn't understand why that was. He had to tell Jethro, even though he could imagine his reaction: a grunt and a slap upside the head for being ridiculous. But it would be all worth it when that tiny little half smile would show up, reaching those icy blue eyes.

"And Ziva?" he finally spoke again, when she was already halfway on her way towards the living room.

"Hmm?"

"You sure you're not mad with me? For lying to you?"

"I was for a moment. But I know that you did it because you wanted to protect yourself and the one you… love? And that is fine. I am not mad."

"Thank you," Tony all but whispered and they stood there staring at each other for a long while.

"We do not have to hug now, yes?" Ziva finally broke the tension, grinning at him ever so slightly.

"No," Tony let out a laugh. "While I see the burning desire in your eyes to be as close to me as possible, we don't need to."

"And you are back to normal Tony-behavior," Ziva smirked.

"The one and only, my little ninja."

-x-

When Abby finally closed the door behind her a couple of hours later, Tony couldn't help but sigh loudly. While he liked having the others around, he was now feeling exhausted, tired and oddly beat. He walked into the kitchen and saw Jethro standing there, leaning against the counter, sipping from a cup of coffee. He looked right back at him when Tony came to a stop next to him, letting his head fall back to let out another sigh.

"You okay?" he asked softly, his hand reaching up to play with the hair on Tony's temple.

He leaned into the touch, having craved it the whole evening and hummed softly, trying to figure out if he was in fact okay.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "I'm glad that they were understanding and all, but… I…," he trailed off, having no clue how to describe his inner turmoil.

"I know," Gibbs just replied and set the cup of coffee down on the counter to give him a fierce hug.

Tony felt himself sink into the embrace and buried his head into Jethro's shoulder. He didn't know for how long they were standing there like that, just clinging on to each other, never uttering a single word. As Tony had finally collected his thoughts somewhat, he let go, but was instantly pulled closer again, so that their cheeks touching now. He let his breathing calm him down a bit as he tried to figure out what they were supposed to do now.

"I really thought, he'd show up," Tony whispered in the end, his eyes suddenly burning.

"I know," Gibbs replied equally quiet. "Thought so, too."

Tony gripped him more firmly now as he felt a lone tear run down his cheek. He knew that he should be glad that the rest of the team were okay with them, were even happy for them and yet the devastating feeling that had been boiling right under the surface ever since he had realized that McGee wouldn't show up, suddenly seemed to get a grip on him and his heart. He tensed in the other man's arms, but didn't let go. Only when Gibbs gripped his shoulders firmly, did he ease the hold on the other man's back. He stared at Jethro for a moment and saw the same kind of feelings playing over his face. Finally, Gibbs reached up and then tenderly wiped the tear that was rolling down Tony's cheek away with his thumb.

"Hey," he then softly whispered. "It'll be alright."

"I really hope so," Tony answered bitterly and yet managed to give him a smile.

"Want to go to bed?"

"I don't know. Not really tired. Can we watch a movie or something? I kind of need to wind down for a bit. That okay?"

"Of course."

They snuggled up against each other on the couch and Tony let some mindless action movie wash over him. He felt a bit better now that he was able to touch the other man, now that he was sure that he wouldn't let go of him for at least a while. He didn't even know when his feelings for the other man had developed like that, but he knew that he could count on him and that he was maybe even able to help him once in a while in return, too. Gibbs was absent-mindedly combing through his hair again and Tony felt himself relax into the touch that slowly lulled into sleep.

He wasn't quite sure when he had actually fallen asleep, but when Jethro softly shook his shoulder to wake him up, the credits of the movie were already rolling and the clock on the wall was telling him that it was shortly before midnight.

"Come on, let's go to bed. We've had a long day."

"Yeah," Tony yawned and stretched himself before he took the hand that Jethro had offered him and got up.

They shuffled towards the stairs, still holding hands, which still surprised Tony, but he didn't complain as he did like the touch after all.

"Don't even want to think about work tomorrow," he mumbled, causing Jethro to stop dead in his tracks at the bottom of the stairs.

"It'll be alright. That's work, we managed before and we'll manage now."

"You sure? What if McGee… I don't know."

"We'll make it work, okay? It won't be easy, but even if he's angry right now, he still is your friend."

"Yeah," Tony sighed and started to climb the stairs. "I really hope so."

"He is, Tony," Gibbs almost coaxed. "He is."

Tony nodded once again and then leaned in to give him a close-mouthed kiss, trying to let him know just how much it meant to him that he was able to do exactly that. Gibbs kissed him back, his arms coming around his waist and just when Tony was about to let his lips slide apart to deepen the kiss, he heard a soft knock on the front door.

He let go of Gibbs, but continued to look at him as the older man threw him an irritated glance and then slowly made his way down the stairs again to open the door. Tony stood rooted to the spot when Jethro opened the door and then sucked in a breath as he saw none other than McGee standing there. His hair looked rather disheveled and there were dark shadows under his eyes even in the dim light of the street lamps outside. He didn't even spare Gibbs a glance, but stared at Tony who was still standing there, one hand on the banister and unable to move. He opened his mouth at least three times before he decided that no coherent word would come out of it anyway and waited for his heart beat to finally stop the damn racing in his chest. His glance shortly flickered towards Jethro who was still standing by the door, but otherwise made no move whatsoever. He looked back at McGee, who was still standing there rather awkwardly between them and tried to figure out whether the guy was here to apologize or to kill him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please don't hate me for the cliffhanger, but the chapter would have been far too long without it and I promise the new part will be up soon! xD Reviews would be rad ;)_


	24. Pushed

_A/N: Hey guys, thanks again for your reviews! You're really awesome! :) I hurried to get this one up and well, I hope you like it! ;)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Four: Pushed<strong>

Tony kept on staring at the guy for a long time, still unable to say anything. But he didn't seem to be alone in that struggle because neither Gibbs nor McGee were saying anything either. Tony took a deep breath, still trying to get his furiously beating heart under control as he was almost sure that it would rip his chest apart any time soon. He didn't know how long the three of them were standing there just staring at each other and he also didn't know whether he was relieved that McGee had finally shown up or terrified of the guy's reaction.

Finally Gibbs seemed to have gotten out of his headspace and cleared his throat, causing McGee to actually jump at the sound.

"You want to stay there all night or want to come in?"

"C-Come in," McGee stuttered ever so slightly as he took a careful step forwards, just far enough for Gibbs to shut the front door behind him.

"Good," Gibbs continued, his voice casual, far too casual for Tony's taste, but he knew that it was all an act. "Want some coffee?"

Tim finally managed to avert his glance from Tony, fixing it on Gibbs instead and Tony could literally see Jethro take a step backwards.

"No, thanks. Too wired for coffee right now."

Tony couldn't help but chuckle at that as he finally seemed to be able to move again. He walked down the stairs and followed Gibbs and McGee into the kitchen, watching Gibbs work on the coffee maker nevertheless.

"You know, Probie," Tony finally quipped, unable to stand the tension that was almost tangible between them any longer. "When I'm wired I tend to talk a lot. You don't seem to have that kind of reaction."

Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Gibbs shift uncomfortably, but he refrained from talking and scolding at him. McGee would have probably beat him to talking anyway as he turned around towards Tony again, his hands balled into fists, his eyes wide and Tony realized immediately that he should have saved the joke for Christmastime.

"If you can't take me seriously, DiNozzo, I might as well go home again."

Tim had already stood up, but Tony knew better than to let him go as he made a few determined strides towards the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder, but he was shrugged off almost instantly. Sighing, Tony stepped away again, but at least he had been successful in stopping him from leaving.

"You're right," he finally started to apologize. "I'm sorry."

That seemed to have stolen his thunder somewhat as McGee dropped down onto the chair again, running a hand through his short cropped hair.

"We take you very seriously," Gibbs finally offered quietly, when McGee made no move to start talking again. "That's why we invited everyone over tonight."

Tim turned to look at him, his brows furrowed. "How did they react?"

"They are fine with… this."

"Really?" McGee piped up, his voice somehow a pitch too high. "Even Ziva?" he added with a look at Tony.

"Yeah," Tony replied slowly and somewhat confused as he chanced a glance at Gibbs who just shrugged. "Is that so surprising?"

"Yeah, I mean… I always thought that if someone ever broke Rule 12, it would be you and Ziva."

Tony let out a laugh, but stored the information about Gibbs' rules away for later, feeling slightly stupid about the fact that all this time he hadn't even thought about those. Was that what McGee was angry about? Could it really be as simple as that?

"McGee, please," he finally answered, dismissing the thought of Ziva and him with a wave of his hand. "I'm not crazy enough to be one of Ziva's conquests. Don't get me wrong, I like her a lot and all, but not like that. There was never more between us."

"Okay," Tim slowly answered and looked down at his hands.

"But that's not really what you came over for, is it?" Gibbs kept up the conversation and Tony was eternally grateful for that as he wasn't sure whether he could possibly stand another minute of prolonged silence.

"No," McGee breathed out and finally spared Tony a glance again, causing him to start fidget ever so slightly, while he was nevertheless trying to uphold the eye contact. "I just… I think I need to..."

"Need to what, McGee?" Gibbs almost demanded, though Tony didn't miss the unusual softness in his voice.

"Why did you freak out the way you did?" Tony finally asked when McGee stayed silent.

McGee stared at him for a moment, his eyes growing huge and his jaw clenched as if Tony had just asked him the most ridiculous question ever. He suddenly stood up as if he was trying to get at the same level as Gibbs and him, who were still standing after all.

"In case you haven't noticed," he finally answered, practically snarling at him. "I'm not particular good with change."

"But nothing has changed, McGee," Tony argued. "Nothing's changed except that I see a lot more of Jethro outside work, but that's all."

"Yeah, sure," McGee snorted, his hands back to balling into fists. "Everything changes when your two immediate superiors decide to fuck each other."

Tony stared at him and felt as if he had just been dipped into ice cold water. He tried to form the words to retort something – anything – but he was momentarily too stunned to actually string together a sentence that would actually make sense. He didn't need to anyway because Gibbs stepped in again and Tony winced as he saw the look on his face. The former understanding expression had been replaced by his famous death glare and Tony knew that it couldn't mean anything good for McGee.

"Hey," he said sharply and Tony saw Tim take a step away from him. "If you came to talk like that in my house, you might as well get lost right now."

Tony gaped at Gibbs and finally caught his eye. Gibbs' furious expression softened a fraction as he looked at him for a moment and he knew that while the words had been harsh, the guy had been right. It was one thing to mad at them for the lies, but that still didn't justified McGee's choice of words, especially regarding the fact that they were friends after all.

"Sorry," the youngest of them finally choked out, but Tony wasn't entirely sure whether he actually meant it, too and hadn't only said it to reassure Gibbs.

The room was dipped in poignant silence after that once again, only interrupted by the ding of the coffee maker, telling them that the coffee was ready. Almost automatically, he accepted the cup that Jethro offered him, even though he wasn't even sure he wanted it, but it was still better than staring at McGee, who was most obviously still angry at him, at least judging from the fume that almost came out of ears. Tony had just taken a sip from the warm beverage as Tim finally opened his mouth again, his index finger pointing accusingly at Tony's chest.

"Do you ever think about stuff sometimes, DiNozzo? Ever think about the consequences your actions might have for others? Huh, do you?"

Tony stared at him for a moment, trying desperately to keep his hands from shaking. He had been slightly irritated by McGee's behavior since he had stepped into Gibbs' house a couple of minutes previously, but he had gone too far just now. How could he accuse him of such things and what exactly had he had done to deserve Tim's wrath? He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, but little did it help, especially regarding the fact that McGee was still staring at him furiously. Unable to keep his anger under wraps any longer, Tony took a step towards the younger agent.

"You think, Gibbs and I just looked at each one day and went for it? Goddamn fool, we literally had sleepless nights, trying to figure this stuff out and do you really think it's easy to process the fact that you're in love with a freaking man and, to top that off, with your fucking boss? Really, you think it's been easy for me to realize that I might not be as straight as I thought I was when I'm in my fucking forties? You really think that's easy, huh? To deal with all the other crap, too, like keeping it quiet at work because one of us might get fired over this? Or that one of our fucking co-workers might judge us for it? Really, you accusing me of not thinking about this? Really?"

He had shouted the last couple of words and was trying hard to keep himself from punching the guy in front of him as he looked into that still angry face right in front of him. He took another step forwards, but then felt a strong arm come around his waist from behind, effectively holding him back.

"Hey," Gibbs intercepted, soothingly talking into his ear. "Calm down."

"No," Tony retorted loudly, half-heartedly struggling against Gibbs' arm. "I won't calm down. I freaking tell him I'm in love with you and he comes here and doesn't give a shit what I'm… I mean we're thinking."

McGee's had grown huge at his last words, pretty similar to the first time Tony had told him the exact same thing earlier today in his apartment. He took a step backwards as if to bring a safe distance between him and Tony and then sighed loudly, the last of the color draining from his face.

"You really meant that?" he finally asked barely above a whisper and he was looking so alike a lost puppy that Tony immediately lost his steam.

"When have I ever lied about something so important, Tim?" he quietly answered and as if having felt the anger vanishing from him, Gibbs let go of him, even though he was still standing right behind him.

McGee stood there for a few moments, eyeing the two of them thoroughly before he finally nodded once and then sat back down on one of the chairs around Gibbs' kitchen table.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to press out. "I didn't know. I thought… I don't know, I didn't think you really meant it quite so seriously. All of this. I'm sorry."

"'S okay," Gibbs grumbled, still not yielding from Tony just in case.

"Yeah, Tim," Tony finally let out a sigh, trying to keep his words calm now as he realized that the other guy really was sorry. "It's okay."

"So, nothing's going to change?" McGee asked, his voice still not quite sounding normal.

"Nothing's going to change at work, if it would, you'd have already picked up on stuff those last couple of weeks, but you didn't, so I think we're safe there. We're still friends, Tim… at least I hope we are," he looked at the younger man and was relieved as he saw him nod. "And just because I'm seeing Gibbs now, doesn't mean we can't hang out or anything."

"Okay," Tim slowly answered, running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry."

They remained silent once again and Tony finally felt his heart beat go back to a relatively normal pace. Gibbs' hand rested on his shoulder now and squeezed it ever so slightly and Tony leaned into the touch, sideways glancing at the older man, whose glance was still fixed on McGee, but his features were more relaxed now, the tension seemingly gone for the moment.

"Are there still any problems? Misunderstandings about this or anything?" he finally asked, his voice calm, controlled.

"N-No," McGee stuttered, but still tried to keep up the eye contact with Gibbs. "As long as you're sure this is the right thing to do, I'm okay with it. I just thought you weren't… I don't know… maybe not all that serious about it, didn't have it thought through and stuff. I'm sorry for assuming."

"It's okay," Gibbs dismissed it with a wave of his hand and earned himself a hesitant smile.

Tony knew, of course, that it had been far from being okay, but he also knew that Gibbs was trying to keep the other man from getting angry at them again and Tony couldn't blame him. He was relieved that the storm had passed for the time being.

"I'll better get going then," Tim finally said, still looking slightly sheepish. "I don't want to anger my boss by oversleeping tomorrow morning."

"You do that," Gibbs actually chuckled and then reached out his hand, which Tim took after a short moment of hesitation. "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, good night."

"Night," Tony said to his retreating back and then heard the front door open and close before he let out a long sigh, collapsing on a chair.

"You okay?" Gibbs softly asked after a while, looking down on him with a rather pained expression all of a sudden.

"Yeah," Tony sighed. "Sorry, didn't mean to lose it like that. He just… I don't know."

"It's okay, I understand," he just replied and was about to sit down on the chair next to him, but Tony grabbed him around the waist and made him sit in his lap.

Grinning ever so slightly, Gibbs' arm came around Tony's shoulders, his fingers playing with the hair on the back of Tony's head. They remained silent for a few long moments until Tony finally looked up at him, searching for eye contact and was mildly surprised when he saw the other man smile at him. It wasn't even one of those trademark half smiles of his, but a fully blown one that reached his eyes.

"What?" Tony asked slightly irritated while at the same time he felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

"Nothing," Jethro answered. "But I think we might have won this battle."

"Yeah, at the expense of my nerves. I think I need a weekend from the weekend. I'm exhausted."

"Me, too."

"You sure you're alright, though?" Tony asked, realizing that he hadn't even asked before as he reached up and placed a kiss on the corner of the other man's mouth.

"Yeah. Just glad that McGee was… I don't know… well, here."

"You think it'll cause problems at work?"

"No clue, but I wouldn't be surprised if he'd test it."

"We just have to look out for that, we'll manage."

"An awful lot of optimism you got there all of a sudden," Gibbs replied, but despite the gruff words, smirked at him ever so slightly.

"Yeah, well, as long as I've got you in my corner."

"Good to know," Gibbs said and leaned down to kiss him. "Come on, let's go to bed, we got work tomorrow morning."

"Yes, boss," Tony replied with a sloppy salute. "Hey, I almost forgot," he added as they climbed the stairs. "One of my frat brothers called me yesterday. He wants to go out on Friday. Don't worry, just for a beer. Would you like to come?"

Gibbs stopped walking as he turned around and eyed him suspiciously for a moment before he shrugged. "You sure you want me there?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Tony reached out and took his hand. "He's a really great guy, more serious than the rest of them. You know what, why don't you ask Fornell to tag along? I mean if you do stuff like that? So, you won't be bored and be forced to listen to all the ridiculous and completely untrue stories, I'm sure Colin's going to tell you. I mean you don't have to, but I think we both could use a break, right? Just kick back and forget about all the other crap for a couple of hours? I…,"

Tony trailed off as he saw the smirk build on the older man's face.

"You're babbling," he finally grinned and placed a soft smack upside his head. "I'll come with you as long as it's not some fancy bar with fruity drinks."

"Okay, boring bar with beer and bourbon it is. Think Fornell might be up for it? I know he doesn't really like me, but I don't want to keep you from quality time with your friends either."

"It's not like he doesn't like you, he just doesn't know you the way I do."

"I'd like to think so," Tony grinned in reply as he leaned in to kiss him again.

"Haha," Gibbs huffed, "but I'm sure he'll be there."

"It's a date, then."

-x-

The week went by rather slowly and without any major problems. Ziva and Abby seemed to have taken McGee's late acceptance rather personally even though they had been told that everything was okay between the junior agent and Tony and Gibbs. It wasn't like they were obvious about it, but it seemed like everything that McGee wanted to do was always a bit slowed down by either of the two women. It wasn't the big things, they knew that getting the work done was more important, but it was little things like Ziva bringing him coffee without his beloved non-fat milk and stuff like that. Tony knew that he should say something, it wasn't their fight after all, but somehow he felt oddly touched by the sentiment. He, himself, tried to be as nice to McGee as possible, avoiding any topic that had even remotely to do with Gibbs and him. In addition to that, he avoided talking to Gibbs at work all together if it wasn't work related and slowly but steady, Tim seemed to have calmed down. Gibbs had called him up on the fact why he barely glanced at him at work, but Tony had just shrugged it off, telling him something about staying on the safe side and Gibbs had accepted that, probably knowing that it wouldn't stay like that for long.

While he was still rather tense, Tony knew that it would get better when time went by. He loved coming home at night, knowing that he would be able to talk to someone about the case, could talk about anything that bothered him and would be held tight at night in bed. They didn't have to hide in front of their friends anymore and Tony hadn't even realized how strenuous it had been to keep this thing between Jethro and him a secret. He also had come to realize that while he had known the guy for almost eleven years now, he still had a lot to learn about him. He would have never thought that the older man needed the physical contact just as much as him, would have never thought that he actually liked having him down in the basement, teaching him basic wood working stuff. Tony still wasn't good at it at all, but he did find it rather relaxing and could finally understand why Gibbs was so obsessed with it. All in all, he knew that he was happy for once – really happy.

-x-

Friday came and they had actually managed not to catch a case last minute, so that they were actually able to go out. Tony had tried to get Gibbs to dress up a bit and had even been successful to a certain degree as Gibbs had actually agreed to wear a button-down shirt. That was good enough for Tony, not that he cared much about it anyway, but it was rather nice to fit in with the expectations of the others – with Fornell leading the way as he smirked at Gibbs, when they sat down next to him at the bar, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'Not long until the $1000 suits show up.'

The night had been fun, catching up with Colin was always great and he hadn't had the chance to go out with his former frat-brother in what seemed like forever. He hadn't even been surprised at Tony's sudden interest in men, stating that Tony was still the same guy, causing him briefly wonder why people couldn't all be like him. Tony wasn't quite sure, but he had the distinct feeling that Jethro enjoyed himself just as much as Tony did. He had patiently listened to the abstruse stories that Colin would tell him about their wild days at OSU. Tony had made sure to tell him that only half of it was actually true, but he couldn't help but notice the amusement in Gibbs' eyes and that was worth all of it. Even Fornell had unbent as the night got older, telling them about the time when Jethro had desperately tried to keep him from marrying Diane.

Downing the rest of his beer, Tony glanced at his watch and was mildly surprised that it was already after one o'clock in the morning. They paid their drinks and then said goodbye to each other, promising that they would repeat the night as soon as possible. Tony didn't know exactly just how many beers he had been drinking, but when they stepped out the bar, he actually had to stop for a moment as the cold and clear air got to his head, causing him to sway ever so slightly.

"Hey, you okay?" Gibbs asked, narrowly avoiding bumping into him from behind.

"Damn beers," Tony just grinned and then let himself be guided towards a taxi that was already waiting for them.

He didn't think that Gibbs was drunk, the guy could hold his liquor much better than Tony after all, but it was good to know that he wasn't all that sober either. Tony kept on grinning at him the whole drive home, earning himself a few irritated looks from the other man, but he couldn't have cared less. When the cabdriver finally dropped them off at Tony's apartment, Tony took Gibbs' hand in his, practically dragging him towards the building and up the stairs, all the while still grinning broadly. Once they closed the door behind them, Tony pushed the other guy against it, starting to kiss his way from his neck up to his ears and jaw towards his lips. He felt Gibbs chuckle ever so slightly into the kiss, but he kissed him back nonetheless, his tongue tentatively licking Tony's lips until he let them slide apart to start kissing him in earnest.

They only broke apart when the need for air got frantic and Tony pulled away ever so slightly, looking deep into the other man's icy blue eyes. They stayed like that for a while, the fingers of both their hands interlaced as they just smiled at each other. Finally, Tony subtly shook his head and closed the distance between them, kissing him again, his hands slipping underneath the other man's shirt, desperate for some kind of skin contact. He let himself be steered towards the bedroom, stumbling over his feet a couple of times, each time earning himself a chuckle from Jethro.

"Shut up," Tony mumbled into the kiss each time, but couldn't help the grin on his own face, whenever it happened, a not so subtle reminder of how drunk he actually was.

They finally feel upon the bed and Tony immediately took initiative as he clumsily tried to unbuckle Jethro's belt that wasn't quite as cooperative as he hoped it would be. Letting out a laugh, Tony let his head fall upon the other man's stomach, feeling him laugh underneath him.

"This never happened before," he finally said, turning his head ever so slightly to rest his chin on Gibbs' stomach and was relieved that he was still looking at him with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"Ah well, there's a first time for everything."

"Not for that, there isn't," Tony retorted, propped himself up on his arms and slid his body further up, so that they were face to face again.

He stared at him for a moment and felt his heart suddenly pick up pace as a thought suddenly popped into his head. He watched Gibbs reach up and comb his hand through Tony's hair, that goddamn broad smile still on his face as he continued to just look at him.

"Speaking of first times," Tony finally plucked up his courage to ask. "Can I ask you something?"

"Technically you just did, but go on."

"Smart ass," Tony said, softly poking him on the side. "No, seriously… you… uh, remember when I first… uh… you know gave you a blow job?"

"Yeah, sure," Gibbs replied, furrowing a brow as he leaned into him a bit and quickly gave him a kiss. "What about it?"

"Remember what I said to you?"

"Clearly and distinctly," Gibbs still looked at him with a smile on his lips and Tony felt his heart skip a beat or two as he continued.

"You still alright with me… you know… uh, topping you? I mean," he stuttered hopelessly and he was sure that the goddamn alcohol had nothing to do with it. "We can change that around, too… but I… I don't know… I really want to try, you know."

"Hey," Gibbs interrupted him softly. "Stop babbling, okay? How long have you been thinking about this? And how many beers did you need to finally voice it, huh?"

"Well," Tony replied rather helplessly and was about to roll off of him, but was held firmly in place by the other man's strong arms.

"Don't sweat it," Gibbs still grinned. "I'm totally fine with that. Just not tonight, okay? I want us both to… you know."

"Enjoy it?" Tony replied cheekily, but was almost sure that his brain cells weren't quite up to speed because Gibbs couldn't possibly mean that, him being Mr. Bossman and all. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah," Gibbs just shrugged. "I trust you."

"Awesome," Tony cheered and kept Gibbs from chuckling once again as he placed a soft kiss on his lips.

They stayed like that for a long time until Tony felt decidedly drowsy and finally rolled off of Jethro. He turned, so that he was lying with his back towards him now, but felt himself immediately drawn into a tight embrace as Gibbs moved closer to spoon up against him. He kissed the nape of his neck before he whispered softly.

"Night, Tony."

"Night. Love you."

He felt Gibbs behind him tense ever so slightly, but he relaxed quickly enough and then finally replied, only above a whisper.

"Glad, you finally told me."

"Huh?" Tony sleepily replied. "I already told you that before."

"Nuh-uh. You told McGee and the perp in interrogation. And I think you told Abby, too, but you never said it to me."

"Really?" Tony replied, realizing only now that it was true. "Wow, I'm such a shitty boyfriend sometimes. Anyway, I love you. And now, I really want to go to sleep, so that the hangover tomorrow morning won't be quite as bad."

"You do that," Gibbs chuckled once again as he pressed another kiss on his temple. "Sleep tight."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be awesome! xD_


	25. Timed

_A/N1: Okay, let's see if it works this time :D  
><em>

_A/N2: So... I originally planned this to be the last chapter of this little story, but it turned out I wasn't quite finished ;) So there's probably going to be one more chapter after that and a short epilogue xD  
>Thanks for reading and especially reviewing! :) You're great!<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Five: Timed<strong>

"Ciao Rosalie, it's Tony," he said when the woman had finally picked up her phone.

He was sitting in the office late on Tuesday afternoon, finally having managed to be alone for at least a few minutes to get his plan for Friday evening rolling.

"Antonio," the cheery voice of the Italian woman was to be heard through the receiver. "How are you?"

"I'm fantastic," Tony said, unable to contain the smile on his lips even though she couldn't even see it. "Listen, could you maybe hold that small table near your fireplace on Friday night?"

"Of course. Everything for my favorite customer. What time can I expect you and your date?"

"How d'you know I'll bring a date?" Tony laughed.

"No one wants that table unless he wants to get lucky."

"Rosalie!" Tony exclaimed, happy that he had only called, so that the lady couldn't see the blush on his cheeks. "But you're right, I'll bring someone. So, uh, 7.30?"

"Consider it done. I'll look forward to seeing you and Gibbs again."

Tony remained silent for a moment and glared at the receiver in his hand before he cleared his throat loudly, causing Rosalie on the other end to chuckle.

"I might be old, Antonio, but I'm not blind. The eye-sex the two of you had going on the last time you've been here was way too obvious not to notice it."

"When did you learn words like eye-sex?" Tony laughed, feeling his cheeks burning up even more now. "Never mind, I'll see you Friday then."

"Ciao."

Tony hung up, shaking his head and wondered how she had been able to see right through them after only seeing them for like an hour, while his co-workers hadn't picked up on anything when they had been around them practically all day. He was still pondering on it, when Abby suddenly came rushing into the bullpen, a wide grin on her face.

"Ah, there you are."

"Where else would I be?" Tony retorted.

"Well, the others aren't here, so… Never mind. I just came to ask whether you're still coming on Saturday? I know bowling isn't exactly your favorite pastime, but it's for charity and all."

"Already said, I'm coming," Tony shrugged, knowing that he would never be able to deny her anything anyway.

"Awesome," Abby beamed at him. "Just wanted to make sure, but I guess it only makes sense, after all your new squeeze will be there, too."

"My new what?" Tony sputtered, shaking his head furiously. "You've been talking to Fornell lately?"

"No, why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Never mind," Tony dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "We'll be there. McGee, too?"

"Like he could say no to me. Is that a problem?"

"No, none at all. Maybe it'll help ease things up a bit."

"Yeah," she sighed. "He'll come around, I'm sure."

"I hope so."

-x-

Glancing at his watch, Tony plopped down on his couch, yawning widely. He had left the office at a reasonable time for once and had hoped that Gibbs would tag along, but his boss had still some reports to finish up. He had promised to be there as soon as he was finished, but that wasn't probably for at least another hour. Tony debated to start watching a movie, but he didn't really want to without the older man there. It was kind of ironic, regarding the fact that Gibbs would complain about it at all times during the movie, but Tony had come to like that fact, being just as playfully annoyed about it as Gibbs was about Tony's quotes and trivia. Truth was, Tony loved simply snuggling up against him on the couch, touching him as much as possible. He had never been one to do that before, but with Jethro it was something so incredibly intimate that he couldn't get enough of it as he always felt strangely secure and grounded whenever they did that.

In the end, he picked up his laptop as a completely different idea had suddenly popped into his head. He chuckled to himself as he realized that he was actually about to read up on sex for the first time since he had been like twelve years old. He browsed through a few pages until he found one that looked promising enough. He had just started reading, skipping the part about protection, when he heard the lock to his front door open. He quickly closed the lid of his laptop, just in time with Gibbs stepping into his apartment.

"Hey," Tony called out. "You're here early."

"Yeah," the older man answered, shrugging out of his coat and toeing of his shoes. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Tony replied. "Surfing the web, you know."

"Uh-huh," Gibbs prodded as he placed a quick kiss on his cheek and then sat down next to him. "Then why are your cheeks flushed?"

"Are not."

"Want me to get you a mirror?"

"No," Tony sighed as he opened the lid of the laptop again, feeling his cheeks burning up even more. "Promise not to laugh at me?"

"Why would I?" Gibbs furrowed a brow and got his glasses out of his pocket. "Were you watching porn?"

"No," he chuckled. "But your train of thought is not entirely wrong. I've been reading about… you know… gay sex."

"Why?" Gibbs turned to look at him, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"I don't know," Tony defended himself and smirked as he realized that a soft blush was actually creeping up Jethro's cheeks now. "Wow, you're actually blushing! I didn't think you were physically able to."

He was rewarded a soft head slap as Gibbs leaned closer to get a look at the laptop screen. "You think we need help?"

"No, I guess not," Tony grinned as he pulled an arm around the other man's shoulders. "But a few ideas won't hurt either. Just want to make sure I've got everything."

"Okay," Gibbs chuckled, then closed the lid again and placed the laptop on the coffee table. "You got anything special planned?"

"Uh-huh," Tony grinned at him as he drew him even closer, so that their noses were all but touching. "Have the whole night planned out. I'll pick you up at seven o'clock sharp on Friday."

"I'll look forward to that then," Gibbs smiled in return and kissed him tenderly. "Do I have to bring anything?"

"Nope. Just yourself."

"I think I can manage that. But there's no ice-skating involved, right?"

"No," Tony let out a laugh. "I promise."

-x-

"Should have figured you'd bring me here," Gibbs grumbled good-naturedly as he climbed out of Tony's car on Friday night.

"Not my fault the food's fantastic. You said so yourself."

"I know," he replied and then to Tony's utter surprise took his hand as they walked over the parking lot towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Feeling oddly at ease, Tony squeezed the other man's hand as he leaned into him to whisper into his ear. "You do realize there are people who could see us, right?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo," Gibbs just shrugged as he turned to look at him. "But as long as we're not at work, I'm not planning to hide anything."

Tony stopped dead in his tracks as he looked at the other man, feeling slightly tingly inside all of a sudden. Of course, he had known that Gibbs cared about him a lot, but he had always been under the impression that he was a pretty private person, even with his ex-wives. The sheer possibility of holding hands with him outside their own safe four walls had been ridiculous only two minutes ago and now they were standing there staring at each other like that for the whole wide world to see. Gibbs gave him a lopsided grin before he turned around again and led the way towards the restaurant.

They were greeted ebulliently by Rosalie who gave Tony a hug that rivaled Abby's. She led them to the table that Tony had reserved, earning himself an approving nod from Gibbs.

"You really planned this out, didn't you?"

"Yeah, told you so. Best table there is. Enough privacy to do this," Tony replied and took the other man's hand under the table again.

Gibbs remained silent, but kept on staring at him for long time. They were finally interrupted by a waiter, who brought them two glasses of wine and each of them a plate of lasagna.

"We haven't even ordered yet," Tony said irritated, but the waiter just shrugged.

"It's on the house."

Tony turned around and saw Rosalie standing behind the bar, polishing some glasses. She looked up right at that moment and winked at him conspiratorially. Tony just nodded and smiled at her before he turned around to look at Jethro again.

"Guess there's nothing to be done about that. I hope you like the world's greatest lasagna."

"Love it," Gibbs just grinned and smiled at him, causing Tony's heart to sudden skip a beat or two.

"You should really smile more often, you know that?" he asked between two bites. "You look years younger when you do."

Gibbs stared at him for a moment, the smile still on his face. "You think I'm old?"

"No," Tony exclaimed and chuckled, blushing furiously. "That's not what I meant. It's just… you look amazing like that. Suits you."

"I'll remember that," Gibbs just smirked and then went back to eating.

-x-

By the time they walked into Tony's apartment a couple of hours later, Tony wasn't quite sure where his nervousness had suddenly gone to. The whole day, he had been jumpy and afraid of taking the step too soon, of messing up or generally sucking at it. He knew that they had been talking about it and that Gibbs was aware of what exactly he had planned for the night, but he wasn't quite sure it was really the right thing to do. But now, as he closed the door behind them, he was oddly at ease, oddly optimistic. Maybe it had something to do with the two glasses of wine he had been drinking, but as Gibbs turned to look at him with a questioning gaze, he knew that all what really mattered was that he had the older man with him, that he trusted him and that he was trusted. He never felt like that before and as he saw Gibbs smile at him once again, he couldn't help but return the gesture.

"So," Gibbs said, dragging out the word as he stepped closer. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," Tony grinned. "At first I thought I'd do the whole romantic thing with candles everywhere and stuff. But then, I figured it's probably not something you'd appreciate."

"You might be right," Jethro smirked at him as he pulled his arms around Tony's waist. "So, what's going to happen then?"

"First," Tony quietly said, "I'm going to kiss you, just like that," he leaned into the other man and pressed his lips onto the other man's, losing a bit of his tension as Jethro's lips welcomed his tongue easily.

He gently stroked the side of Jethro's cheek before he continued. "And that's about all I've got planned out. But we've never been particularly good at following a plan, have we?"

"Nope," Gibbs chuckled and then leaned forwards to steal another kiss.

Slightly dumbfounded by the sensations that were suddenly whizzing through his nerve endings, Tony wondered when a simple kiss had last felt like that. Gibbs' lips were firm and warm, just like the man himself, and Tony realized that fact only now. His hands found Jethro's shoulders and pulled him, if possible, even closer, enveloping him in a tight embrace. He felt Jethro's arms coming round his waist and encouraged by that, thrust his tongue inside the older man's mouth almost forcefully, demanding entrance and taking control as he plundered his mouth with forceful darts of his tongue. Like moving on their own accord, they stumbled towards the bedroom, never stopping to kiss. Tony was feeling slightly light-headed by now, probably due to the lack of oxygen, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he pushed Jethro down onto the bed. He hurried to straddle him, pinning him down beneath him, and felt Jethro's hands immediately come to a rest on his ass. Jethro smiled up on him again and as he stroked it, hazily, slowly, apparently enjoying the feel of it. Tony leaned into him some more, kissing him fiercely and wasn't entirely surprised when he felt his own cock harden. He pulled away after a moment and sat up, gazing intently at the other man.

"And you're really sure you want me to do this?"

"Yeah," Gibbs just breathed out, "I trust you."

"Okay then," Tony replied softly, making sure that there was no sign of discomfort coming from the other man. "Then get up and take your damn clothes off."

"Oh," Gibbs chuckled. "Bossy."

Tony smirked and then quickly got up and undressed himself, watching the other man do the same more slowly, more deliberate. He felt his cock twitch in response. Gibbs finally turned around to look at him and Tony took the chance and reached out his hand, fastening it around Jethro's wrist and then slowly twirled him around. He only paused when the older man was facing away from him and then released him again, cupping his ass between his hands and running a thumb tenderly over him. He felt Gibbs shiver under his every touch and started to nestle at the nape of his neck, biting down on the tender flesh. He turned him around after a little while and pulled him close, kissing him once again. As if on their own accord, their bodies rubbed against each other, sending shivers down Tony's spine and making his cock throb. He guided Jethro down onto the bed and then laid down beside him, kissing him once again, this time more tenderly. He let his hands wander over Gibbs' body, stroking, touching and teasing him until the older man let out something that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. Tony smiled into the kiss before he began to caress his body with his lips, pausing to kiss and suck whenever he found a spot where the older man seemed to be particularly sensitive.

For a moment he marveled at the fact that Gibbs of all people really let him take control like that, but as he looked up for a moment, his green eyes locking into blue ones, he was able to see absolute trust in them and he continued his earlier caress. When he heard Gibbs let out a low moan, coming from deep within his chest, Tony sat up for a moment and fished a tube of lubricant out of the drawer of his nightstand, rubbing some of it on his fingers. He nudged Gibbs' leg apart and he complied almost instantly, so that Tony was able to kneel between his open legs and then as gently as he could, played with Jethro's opening. He felt him tense up, so he slowed his moves somewhat as he looked up at him, a reassuring smile on his lips.

"Relax," he whispered softly. "For me."

Gibbs took a deep breath and after a few moments actually relaxed a bit. Tony gave him a broad smile and then carefully slipped a finger inside him. Jethro tensed around him once again, so Tony waited for a few moments, stroking his thigh with his free hand before he slowly started to fuck him with his finger. Gibbs let his head fall down on the pillow and Tony instantly felt him relax again as he slowly started to loosen up. Tony continued like that until Jethro made those little and clearly approving little voices again, so he carefully added a second finger and after a little while a third one.

Gibbs groaned and finally looked at Tony again, who returned the gaze intently, briefly wondering how they had gotten there, from being mere co-workers to sharing the most intimate moment ever. He gave him another brilliant smile as he carefully let his fingers slip out of him and leaned into the other man again, erections pressing together as he sought out for another kiss. It was sloppy, lazy and open-mouthed, but he couldn't care less. He only backed away as he felt Jethro thrust up against him ever so slightly, causing him to chuckle ever so slightly.

"How do you want to do this?" he whispered as he sat up again, looking at Gibbs expectantly.

"On my hands and knees, I guess," he replied and then obeyed to his own words as he turned around.

Tony got in position behind him, his cock painfully hard by now as he thought about what he was about to do. He ran his hands over Jethro's butt again, gentling and soothing him.

"Damn, that's so hot," Tony said, his voice suddenly rough as he slid a finger inside him again. He let it slide in and out for a couple of moments before he continued to talk. "You need a safe word… you know, if it's too much, so that I'll be able to stop before I hurt you."

"Hmm," Gibbs just replied, leaning into Tony's touch. "How about 'stop'?"

"Pragmatic, I like it," Tony chuckled again, but fell silent as he withdrew his finger.

He realized that he was trembling ever so slightly as he reached for the condom that lay on the nightstand and slid it over his leaking cock. He lubed it up some more and then moved closer and then slowly let the tip of his cock settle against Gibbs' entrance. Once more, he felt him tense up, but Tony got hold of his hips and let his thumbs softly travel over Jethro's flushed skin. When he felt the older man relax again, he let his cock enter, slowly, carefully, aware of any sign of discomfort. Gibbs let out a groan and Tony slid his arms around his waist. He stayed still for a moment, trying to give the other man some time to adjust and himself some time to compose himself. Jethro felt incredibly tight around him even though he wasn't even completely in yet. He took a deep breath as he felt Gibbs adjust to him and then leaned down to kiss his back, still holding him tight against him. He moved forward again, pushing deeper into him and Jethro cried out.

"You okay?" Tony asked, but Jethro just nodded in return, so he stayed still for a moment or two before his hand went under the older man's body and found his cock, taking hold of it.

Jethro gasped and Tony felt the muscles around him relax. Taking advantage of that, he gave one more push and then he was all the way in, his balls flush against the other man's ass.

"Fuck," Tony groaned at the same time Jethro did.

He had never expected just how hot and tight the other man was around him and all he wanted to do was fuck him relentlessly, but he knew that he couldn't possibly do that. He slightly rocked against him and was rewarded another groan and this time he was positive that it wasn't from pain.

"Still okay?" he asked nevertheless.

"Oh yeah," Jethro just breathed out and Tony adjusted himself so that he was able to press a series of tender kisses along the other man's spine.

His cock was throbbing painfully by now, but he didn't dare to move before Gibbs would give him his okay. So he waited, trying to focus on anything but the warm sensation of being connected to the other man like that.

"Okay," he heard Jethro finally speak, even if it was only above a whisper. "Go on."

Tony removed his hold from the other man, shifted his weight ever so slightly and then started to move. He slid out a little way and then slowly and gently slid back in again. He repeated his moves, each time going farther in and out until Jethro started to move his hips in time with his thrusts. Tony groaned and then slid out of him almost entirely before he slammed back in, his worries forgotten for the moment as he felt Jethro groan loudly, meeting his every thrust.

"Right there," Jethro moaned and Tony realized that he had apparently hit exactly the right spot.

He rested his hands on Gibbs' ass, angled home several thrusts and with each one of them, Jethro cried out. Tony grunted as he slammed back into him, realizing that he didn't needed to be overly careful anymore as he rode him relentlessly. His left hand came around the other man's body again, squeezing his cock in time with each inward thrust. He felt Gibbs tighten around him and tried to hold on to that glorious feeling for a little while longer as he felt the older man come all over his hand. With one last powerful thrust deep into the other man's body, Tony felt himself come harder than he could ever remember as he squeezed his eyes shut and cried out Jethro's name. Still panting heavily, he slid out of him and pulled Gibbs down with him onto the bed, so that they were able to look at each other.

"You okay?" Tony asked after a couple of minutes of simply staring into each other's eyes.

"Yeah," he just replied and buried his face in his neck.

Tony pulled him close and held him close, running a hand lazily through the other man's hair. He wasn't quite sure how long they stayed like that, pressed up close to each other, exhausted and smelling of sex. It wasn't like he cared, though. If he had his way, they'd be lying like that for all times to come, regardless of whatever was happening around them. When Jethro finally moved again to look at him, Tony eased his hold a bit only to kiss the side of his face tenderly.

"That was the best sex ever," he breathed out in between two kisses and felt Jethro's smile against his lips.

"Good," he just replied.

"And if it's been good for you, too, I really want to repeat it."

"You bet," Gibbs chuckled. "But only if we turn things around from time to time. Deal?"

"Oh yeah," Tony smirked. "The noises you made were enough to know that I want to do that, too, and as soon as possible."

"Right."

They kept on kissing and looking at each other for a long time until Jethro shifted ever so slightly and pulled a blanket over them both. Placing one last kiss on the top of the other man's head and whispering a 'I love you' into his ear, Tony let himself be pulled close again and then they fell asleep, wrapped up in each other's arms.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Reviews would be great... and I promise there will be more 'plot' next time xD_


	26. Loved

_A/N: Aaaand on time again! xD So, as I've said before, this will be the last chapter of this story. However, there will still be an epilogue, which will probably be up on Sunday or Monday at the latest! :)  
>Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and thanks again for your reviews! :)<br>_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Six: Loved<strong>

"Strike!" Tony cried out after the third one in a row for him as he gave Sister Maria a high five.

They had been playing for about an hour and slowly but steady he had finally found his flow. He had never been the best at bowling as it generally involved too little running and there was no real ball for him to throw, but from to time it was fun. He still had no idea how bowling was supposed to help the kids in the shelter, but he wouldn't ask again, that was for sure. One of the nun's endless monologue was enough for one night. He could have sworn that even Ducky, who had opted to only watch them play, had never told such a long tale.

For a moment, Tony caught Gibbs' eye and grinned broadly at him.

"I'm wiping you out!" he shouted through the commotion around him, causing Jethro to just shake his head as he went to pick up a bowling ball as it was his turn next.

Tony was still staring at his ass in what he hoped was an inconspicuous way as he felt a tug on his right elbow and turned around only to look straight into Abby's face. She was smirking broadly at him for a moment before she dragged him with her, so that they were standing a little away from the others. Tony knew that he should probably flee from her immediately as it was barely ever a good sign when she was looking like that, but just as he was about to shout something completely inappropriate at McGee, Abby had already opened her mouth.

"Why is Gibbs walking funny?"

Tony stared at her, feeling his eyes growing wide before he found a sudden interesting in his bowling shoes.

"He does not," he finally answered.

"Sure, he does," Abby giggled and Tony looked up reluctantly, regretting it immediately as he realized that that smirk on her face had grown even broader. "You guys finally sealed the deal, huh?"

"Abby!" Tony cried out indignantly. "We're surrounded by nuns in case you haven't noticed."

"So?"

"So?" he shook his head, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks. "They're _nuns_! I won't talk about this in front of _nuns_."

"Prude," Abby giggled. "But you did it, right?"

"I didn't say that," Tony replied, scrubbing a hand over his face, hoping for someone to save him, but everyone seemed to be engaged in some kind of conversation at the moment.

"Oh, you so did! And you were on top, too."

"_Abby_!" Tony cried out desperately. "Nuns!"

"What?" she once again grinned at him as she shrugged, "it's hot!"

Tony stared at her, unable to see a way out of this particular conversation, so he sighed and was just about to answer as Ziva had joined them, looking from Abby to him with a smile on her lips.

"What is hot?" she asked.

"I am," Tony hurried to say before Abby had even opened his mouth as he beat her to talking.

"Is that why your cheeks are flushed?"

Tony turned and shook his head, wondering what he had done wrong in a former life to deserve friends like that. He looked around frantically and then let out a relieved sigh as he realized that he was up next.

"Thank god, it's my turn," he said, grinning at them, and then walked away from them.

A couple of minutes later, Tony was sipping on his beer, careful to bring as much distance between him and Abby as Jethro came to stand by his side, a wary expression on his face.

"Why are you looking so frightened?"

"I'm not really," Tony chuckled. "Just… why did we tell Abby about us again?"

"Because Jones told her? Oh, and yeah because she's our friend?"

"Oh, that," Tony grinned.

"Why?"

"She's harassing me, I'm telling you. She says you're walking funny."

"I do not," Gibbs replied chuckling and his ears were actually turning pink ever so slightly.

"I know," Tony replied and placed a hand on his shoulder for a short moment. "That's what I said."

Jethro looked at him and then started to laugh in earnest. Tony stared at him and then joined in. He cast a quick look around and was faced with the nuns and McGee staring at them utterly surprised. Tony calmed down ever so slightly, wondering what they were all staring at before he realized that a laughing Gibbs wasn't an everyday occurrence for them. He caught McGee's eye for a moment, nodded at him and was relieved to see him return the favor before he turned around and easily bowled a strike.

"Ten dollars say she won't ask me about it," Gibbs interrupted his train of thought.

"Make that twenty. The woman's unstoppable."

-x-

"Hey Tony," he heard McGee's voice right behind him another hour later. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Probie," Tony replied, turning around.

McGee looked rather solemnly, but Tony was relieved to realize that he was actually looking at him again. Ever since he had left Gibbs' house almost a week earlier, the younger man had carefully avoided looking him straight into the face. Whether he was ashamed or annoyed or afraid of him, Tony hadn't been able to figure out. But he hadn't pushed either, knowing that the junior agent would come around eventually.

"I just wanted to let you know," Tim started, showing no sign of the expected insecurity. "I'm really sorry about last week."

"You already said that," Tony shrugged, not quite sure where McGee was zeroing in on. "It's okay."

"No, it's not and I know that. I know I haven't exactly been acting like it, but I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, but…" Tony started, but McGee cut him off.

"Let me get this out, okay? I had a few troubles getting it together in my head because frankly, I never would have thought that the two of you… you know, were even remotely interested in each other like that. I mean I'm supposed to be an investigator and I didn't see it. And then I saw Gibbs at your place and I freaked out. I thought that everything would change and not for the better. But I was wrong. I know that you are professionals and wouldn't let it affect work and it turns out you actually didn't. So… I'm sorry for doubting you."

"It's okay, Tim," Tony replied oddly touched by the other man's confession. "And hey, I'm not always professional. I shouldn't have sent the email with the video about that dog and that cat to you and Ziva, right?"

"Right," Tim said, grinning ever so slightly, but sobered up quickly once again. "Listen, one more thing… I know I said I don't like change, but that's not right. I have no idea what you have done to Gibbs – and I probably don't want to know – but I've never seen him like that before."

"Like what?"

"Happy? Just before when the two of you were laughing, I've never seen that. Sure a smile here and there, but never like that. And I mean I just need to look at you and I know that you're happy, too. And I probably should stop talking now before this is getting even more embarrassing."

"Sappy, you mean?" Tony quipped, but then smiled at him. "Thanks, means a lot."

"Okay," McGee replied and awkwardly stepped away from him, but Tony reached towards him to engage him into an even more awkward one-armed hug.

Over Tim's shoulder, Tony saw Gibbs stare at them, a half smile on his face and he realized only now that McGee had been right before. Gibbs did indeed seem to be happy and he felt all tingly inside as it registered that he might have something to do with that. He shot him a brilliant smile as he let go of McGee and suddenly couldn't wait to get home.

-x-

"Here's your twenty," Gibbs placed the bill in Tony's hand as he oddly enough locked his front door a couple of hours later.

"Oh," Tony chuckled. "What did she say, then?"

"Nothing much, but she's very proud that I trust you like that."

"Really?" Tony dragged out the word and then started to laugh. "Good to hear."

"What? That Abby can't shut up?"

"No, not that. That's hardly news," Tony smirked as they slowly made their way up the stairs towards the bedroom. "I mean that you trust me."

"And that shouldn't be news, either, Tony."

"I know," he shrugged. "Feels good to hear it once in a while though."

"Duly noted."

They took their turns in the bathroom and then both stripped down to their boxer shorts and slipped under the covers. They turned so that they were looking at each other and stared at each other for a while, their hands touching each other's hips, their legs entangled. After a while, Tony finally leaned closer and kissed the other man thoroughly, their tongues brushing against each other. Their touches became more demanding as Tony's hand slipped under the waistband of Jethro's boxers, cupping his ass. He waggled his eyebrows when Gibbs' hand found its way towards his cock, which twitched in anticipation. Gibbs let out a chuckle and then kissed him fiercely once again. Tony gasped into it, having not expected the sudden force of it. Apparently taking advantage of his surprise, Jethro rolled them over so that he was lying on top him, giving Tony an almost comical leer.

"Oh, bossy," Tony playfully repeated Gibbs' words from the night before and the older man chuckled again as his hands slid down Tony's sides, causing him to shiver ever so slightly.

"Still stand by your word of wanting to try?" he then asked, his voice rough and low as he started to play with Tony's by now overly sensitive nipples.

"Hell, yeah," Tony just repeated with a slightly surprising certainty.

Jethro continued his tender ministrations, kissing his way along Tony's jaw to his ears, resting there for a few moments as he nibbled at the earlobe, sending shivers down Tony's spine. His hands were suddenly all over him and Tony felt hot and sweaty and they hadn't even done anything, yet. He was so focused on every single touch that ghosted over his skin that he was surprised when he heard a soft click as Jethro opened the tube of lube. For a moment, Tony looked up at him and his breath hitched in his throat as he saw the look of love and trust on the other man's face. He couldn't help but reach up and close his eyes to kiss him again until he felt Gibbs' erection press hard against his own.

He let out a moan at the sudden feeling of loss when the older man broke their kiss to squeeze the lube onto his fingers. Tony watched his every movement as he reached between his legs and found his entrance. He circled it with a tenderness that had Tony on the edge instantly before he pushed against the muscle. Tony could feel his breathing grow shallower and Gibbs looked at him for a moment. The younger man had no idea how the guy did it, but just one look into those icy blue eyes and Tony felt himself exhale slowly, instantly relaxing again even as Gibbs' fingertip breached the ring of muscle and slid inside.

Jethro held still for a moment and just stared down on him, the smile on his lips never fading. Tony returned the gesture and grabbed him at the back of his head to draw him down to kiss him again. Almost at the same time, Jethro took hold of Tony's cock as he pushed his finger further inside, causing Tony to moan into the kiss. He wriggled his hips and pushed up into Gibbs' fist. He had expected it to hurt like hell, but it was merely burning faintly, overshadowed by the incredible feeling of Jethro's hand on his cock and his lips on Tony's.

"Please," he finally all but begged. "Do it."

"Don't want to hurt you," Gibbs replied silently, his voice thick, his eyes getting darker by the second. "Feel okay?" he added as he pulled his finger back and pushed in again, faster this time.

"Kind of weird," Tony admitted. "But not bad weird."

"Okay," Gibbs said, pulling out altogether and then pushed two fingers inside him.

He held still and Tony forced himself to relax. Finally succeeding, as Jethro stroked his cock again, he nodded at the older man, motioning him to continue. With a slight smile on his lips, Gibbs suddenly crooked his fingers and Tony cried out, his hips thrusting upwards as his cock twitched again.

"Shit! Please, Gibbs…," he trailed off as Gibbs did it again and Tony moaned, loudly this time as he felt himself clench around the other man's fingers.

Jethro grinned at him almost evilly as he set up a rhythm, fucking him thoroughly with his fingers. Tony couldn't help but move with his every motion, his cock already leaking. Gibbs had started to stroke him in earnest now and leaned down to steal his lips again, his tongue matching the rhythm of his goddamn fingers inside of him as it thrust into Tony's mouth relentlessly. Almost forcefully, Tony gripped the back of his head to pull him off from him.

"If you don't stop now I won't be able to hold onto much longer. Come on," he added huskily, trying to even out his breathing. "Fuck me."

Gibbs just nodded, the blue in his eyes almost completely gone, which in return turned Tony on even more. He pulled his fingers free and then rummaged through the drawer of his nightstand before he retrieved a condom and quickly rolled it down his shaft. Tony watched him slick more lube over it and then take hold of his cock, positioning himself at his entrance.

"How do you…?" he whispered.

"Like that. I want to watch you, touch you, kiss you," Tony replied equally quiet as if one word spoken too loudly would break the moment.

Gibbs just nodded, then pushed in and Tony felt himself tighten around the intrusion. He stilled for a moment, taking a deep breath. Gibbs hands were roaming up and down his stomach in a soothing way now and Tony relaxed almost instantly and then tentatively began to move under the other man, practically urging him on.

"Jethro," he moaned. "Please… move."

He was met with an unsure stare, but as Tony moved again, Gibbs started to roll his hips and finally pushed all the way in, causing Tony to squirm at the unexpected fullness.

"Fuck," he let out, but the sound was muffled by another kiss.

Wrapping one leg around Gibbs' waist and lifting the other until the older man's arm slid behind his knee, Tony moved against him again and arched underneath him. Gibbs had apparently forgotten his earlier insecurity and met his every move, fucking him harder and faster. Tony gasped when he hit the right spot again. Over his own arousal, Tony saw Gibbs grin at him ever so slightly as he hit it again and again until Tony wasn't able to hold on any longer and felt himself rippling around the other man. Squeezing his eyes shut, Tony let out a silent shout as he came, the world around him turning black for a few moments. As if from far away, he felt Gibbs thrust deep inside of him and then he came, his cock throbbing within him.

Still panting, the older man released Tony's leg, pulled out of him and then sank down onto Tony's stomach, seemingly unaware of the mess there. He was trembling ever so slightly and Tony's arms came around him, holding him close. He stroked the other man's back until his breathing finally became less shallow. Gibbs rolled off of him and made a face at the mess that was sticking to both their stomachs now. Tony chuckled and then grabbed some tissues from the nightstand to clean them both.

"You feeling alright?" the older man asked when he was done, his head propped up on his arms, his eyes searching Tony's.

"Never better," Tony replied and meant it, too. "Don't know why we waited so long to do this."

"Me, either," Gibbs chuckled and ran a hand through Tony's hair, causing Tony to sigh contently.

"Hey Jethro?" he asked after a little while when they were already lying entangled in each other again arms, the other man's head resting on his chest, his hand playing with the hair there.

"Hmm?"

"Are you happy?"

Gibbs turned around ever so slightly and rested his chin on Tony's chest, looking at him with bright blue eyes.

"Yeah, I am. Why d'you ask?"

"I don't know. McGee just said something earlier about how you're more relaxed and smiling more often. He's never seen you like that and come to think about it, neither have I."

"Yeah," Jethro answered with a hint of a shrug. "Haven't been happy in a while, maybe that's why."

"Okay," Tony replied thoughtfully and then pulled the other man closer again to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Gibbs asked, a smile still on his face, but his eyes seemed rather wary.

"Like what?"

"Thoughtful? Gloomy? I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

"I'm not gloomy," Tony replied, giving him a broad smile just for the doubt of it. "It's just sometimes a bit hard to believe that we're here like that, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm not planning on going anywhere, you got that, right?"

Tony stared at him for a moment and felt that by now familiar tingly feeling spread in his stomach again. He hadn't really planned on anything that was farther away than three weeks, but the look on Gibbs' face right at that moment was enough for him to start thinking about it. He had no clue if they would be able to keep going like this, rarely ever fighting, rarely ever disagreeing on anything, but he really wanted to try, wanted to make it right this time. He was willing to pour his everything into this relationship with Jethro if it meant staying like that forever.

"Yeah," Tony finally answered, leaning in to steal another kiss. "That's probably good, too, 'cause you won't get rid of me in any time soon."

"Good," Gibbs grinned and then reached up to give him a soft tap on the back of his head.

"And here I thought you being happy would mean you won't head slap me anymore. Apparently I was wrong," Tony quipped and promptly earned himself another one.

"Shut up," the older man laughed and gave him a quick peck on the lips before he settled back down on Tony's chest, yawning widely.

"I guess that's good night," Tony said kissing the top of Gibbs' head. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Sleep tight."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Love it? Hate it? Dying to hear your thoughts! :)_


	27. Epilogue: Ten Months Later

_A/N: First of all, wow, I never thought this story would be quite that long. xD Secondly, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love(d) the feedback from you guys. I never thought I would get so many reviews and favorites and alerts. So, thank you so much for reading this! :) Really, thank you!_

_I hope you like this little epilogue, too. :)_

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue: Ten Months Later<strong>

Gibbs looked out the window for a moment and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The world outside had turned white over the last couple of days and it didn't seem like it would stop snowing any time soon.

As much as he used to hate snow ever since Shannon and Kelly had died, he couldn't quite stop the corners of his mouth to twitch now. He had despised the cold weather and the snow that usually came along with it for too many reasons, all of them directly connected to the life he had once had. Snow would remind him of the day when he had gone down on one knee in front of Shannon in her backyard, coming back from a winter walk. It would remind him of Kelly and him making snow angels and building a snowman in the middle of his front yard just for the sake of surprising Mommy when she got home from the grocery store. Whenever he had seen a snowman ever since or a family building one, the old ache would free itself and painfully remind him what he had lost and would never get back.

He subtly shook his head as his eyes fell upon the rather crooked excuse of a snowman that was currently standing in his front yard. Ever since he had first laid eyes on it two days earlier he was waiting for the regret to hit him, but oddly enough he found himself grinning every time he thought about Tony's big smile when he had welcomed him home from his short stint in the hospital. The goddamn snowman had even held a sign saying welcome in his snow-made hands. Sometimes Gibbs wondered in earnest whether Tony was actually the 43 years old as his ID card claimed. But then, he remembered that it was exactly the playful side of the other man that had made him fall in love with him after all. It had been Tony who had saved him from his usual winter funk last year and had turned his well-planned life upside down ever since they had shared a bed for the first time in that small motel-room over a year ago. It had been Tony who had made him see the beautiful side of winter – long walks, ice-skating and even an occasional silly snowball fight. And it had been Tony who, while he was still driving him crazy at work just for the fun of it, had repaired something inside of him that he hadn't even known it needed to be fixed. Gibbs didn't know a lot about feelings, but he knew that he was happy for once and not only on the surface either.

He turned around now and awkwardly started to pull out random stuff from one of Tony's boxes. It was mostly useless as far as Gibbs could see, but if the guy wanted it here, he'd have to deal. He smiled as he retrieved a model of his own Challenger along with a green '68 Mustang and a bright red Ferrari. He placed them on the windowsill for the moment, not sure where Tony would want them, then reached into the box again and found two framed photographs at the very bottom of it. He looked at the first one for a while until he realized that it was one of Tony's parents. They were smiling brightly at the camera in front of them and for a short moment Gibbs wondered how the guy could look so much alike his father and at the same time could have so many features in common with his mother. He gently put the photograph onto the mantelpiece next to the one of himself and his girls from Christmas so many years ago. He gave it a sad smile before he finally turned to look at the second photograph and was momentarily taken aback as he spotted himself and Tony smiling at each other. He had never seen it before and briefly wondered where the younger man had hidden it in his apartment until now. Gibbs guessed the photo had been taken that night at the bowling alley when Abby had insisted to go. With a smile on his lips, he ran a thumb over the picture before it joined the other two on the mantelpiece.

"Hey Boss," he was startled out of his thoughts by McGee who was currently carrying a rather heavy looking box into the living room. "Where do you want this?"

"Just drop it here, we'll figure it out."

"Tony's art of packing seems like his brain," McGee grinned at him as he put the box down on the ground.

"Messy?" Gibbs replied and smirked, causing Tim to let out a surprised bark of a laugh, which in turn was rudely interrupted by Tony's voice that traveled down the stairs towards them.

"Hey, I've heard that," he shouted. "I know it's a bit chaotic, but I know exactly where everything is, so shut up."

"Sorry," Tim just replied with a roll of his eyes as he turned around again, presumably to get the next one of the moving boxes, but stopped dead when Tony walked down the stairs and fixed him with a mild glare.

"Besides, what are you still doing here, McMover? Shouldn't you already be at home, getting ready for that date?"

"It's not that late," McGee sighed. "I still got an hour and we're almost finished here. No big deal."

"No, go home," Tony replied rather solemnly. "We'll manage the rest. I don't want it to be our fault to keep you from having a good time."

"Well, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even need my help in the first place," Tim just shrugged and then got to move again, but Gibbs walked towards him and stopped him.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it wasn't your fault that I dislocated my shoulder?"

"Well, you pushed me away from that car to save me. _Again_. So it is kinda my fault."

"That's my job, McGee, and you would have done the same for any of us. So, shut up and go home. I don't want to see you till Monday, you got that?"

"Okay, fine," McGee finally gave in, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Yeah," Tony quipped as the younger agent was already halfway out the door. "Go get yourself laid tonight!"

McGee mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'ass', but didn't turn around and then he was out the door, leaving Tony and Gibbs standing there next to each other.

"He's right though," Gibbs said. "Your stuff's a mess. Why would you put your model cars in a box with your photos?"

"Oh, you already found that, huh?" Tony grinned as he turned to look at him. "Well it was the stuff that I've kept hidden in the drawers of my nightstand."

"Why?" Gibbs asked as he followed the younger man back into the living room.

"Well, I'm not six years old anymore to play with those cars in public, am I?"

"That's not what I meant," Gibbs answered and came to a halt right next to him in front of the mantelpiece. "I was talking about the photos. I've never seen them before."

"I don't know," Tony shrugged before he pulled an arm around Gibbs' waist. "I wasn't particular keen on having to look at my dad's face every day. But this is the only one my mom's not a total mess, so I kept it."

"Okay, I get that. We got a perfectly fine nightstand to stash it away upstairs, too."

"Nah," Tony shook his head after a moment of silence and squeezed him. "They look good up there."

"Alright then," Gibbs just replied and placed a soft kiss on the other man's cheek.

"Talking about hiding stuff," Tony said as he flopped down on his couch that they had moved into the living room earlier that day, much to the younger man's delight. "I was just up in the attic to put away the boxes and stuff. I swear I didn't mean to snoop around or anything, but you know me, I'm curious."

"It's okay," Gibbs just replied, sitting down next to him. "But I wasn't really hiding Kelly and Shan's stuff. It just, you know, I don't really like looking at it all the time, but I like to go up there and look at it for a while whenever I feel… like it."

"Sounds about right," Tony just replied and wrapped an arm around Gibbs' shoulders, carefully avoiding touching the recently injured one. "Maybe we're not that different after all, huh?"

"I guess not," Gibbs grinned and realized that despite all their obvious differences they really weren't all that different, not when it came to the important matters.

He knew that they both would do anything for their families, for the team and friends and they both had trouble to trust other people, but once they did, they'd hardly ever lose that trust again. And above all, Gibbs knew that he could always count on Tony, no matter what. The guy had been frantic three days ago, when he had called him on the ride to the hospital and even though he had assured him that it was just his shoulder and that he didn't need to come over, Tony had been there only minutes after him and McGee, making sure that he hadn't downplayed his injuries.

"You know what," he finally started to talk again, when Tony had already laid his head upon his uninjured shoulder. "If you want, we can look at Kelly's stuff some time or I'll show you those photo albums that Shannon used to obsess over to make them perfect."

"I'd love to," Tony turned to look at him, a wide smile on his lips.

They remained silent after that for a long while and Gibbs secretly savored in the warmth that the other man was providing. Sometimes he really wondered how the two most stubborn men on earth had been able to make this work over the last year. They rarely ever had a fight and if they fought, it always ended with the most amazing make-up-sex and promises to work on their relationship. And they had never failed to keep them. He had never thought that he would open his house to anyone ever again, but Tony had just waltzed into his very private life and had made all of Gibbs' intentions of living a solitary life obsolete. He had still no idea how he had managed to do that, but Gibbs couldn't care less. He was just happy that he had done it and that broad smile that had threatened to split the younger man's face apart when Gibbs had asked him to move in with him a month earlier was really all what Gibbs had been missing over the last couple of very long and lonely years.

"We should probably get back to work, huh? Otherwise I'll never fully move in here," Tony sighed as he got up and stretched himself a couple of minutes later.

"Hmm," Gibbs just replied, reluctantly getting up, too. "What if we just bring in the rest of the boxes and then call it a night for today? We could go for a walk or something to unwind a bit."

"Sounds good," Tony nodded his approval. "But I've got a better idea."

"Yeah?" Gibbs replied, raising an eyebrow at the mischievous smile on the younger man's face.

"We could play matchmaker for our snowman. I'm sure he would love to have a Mrs. Snowman right next to him. Or a Mister if you think that'd be more appropriate considering the circumstances."

Gibbs let out a laugh and subtly shook his head at Tony's antics as he answered. "Okay, we'll do that, but if anyone asks, that is all your doing."

"I hear you, Boss," Tony just grinned and then jogged outside to bring in the last of the boxes.

Gibbs watched him carry them inside and then saw himself dragged outside into the front yard. He wasn't much help building the snowman as he had only useful arm after all, but he provided the carrot and the buttons that served as the eyes and the mouth of the snow lady. When they were done, they just stood there for a while, looking at their creations.

"So, you still don't like the snow?" Tony finally asked, the tone of his voice rather serious for once.

"I'm starting to like it again," he admitted. "Without it, we wouldn't be here, right?"

"Yeah," Tony replied and took his hand. "Hey, we should make a weekend trip to Higginsville some time to celebrate our anniversary or something."

"You really want to spend our anniversary in that filthy motel room?"

"Guess not," Tony made a face. "But you can't deny that without that snowstorm a year ago, we probably wouldn't be here now, living together and all."

"Yeah," Gibbs just replied and smiled at him, causing Tony to blush ever so slightly.

"You think we would have ever gotten our heads out of our asses if it hadn't been for that flu back then?"

"I don't know," Gibbs replied shrugging. "I'd like to think so."

"Yeah, me, too," Tony sighed as he let go of Gibbs' hand for a moment to put the carrot nose back into its place as it had fallen to the ground a few moments before. "Sometimes I just wonder how stupid we've been to take eleven years to realize just how good we could be, you know. It doesn't make much sense, does it?"

"Yeah, well," Gibbs just replied. "Maybe we needed that time to realize what we really wanted."

Tony smiled at him and took his hand again and Gibbs realized that common sense and logic really had nothing to do with it. Most of the stuff they had been doing over the past year wouldn't have made much sense to him only two years previously and yet they had made it work. Nothing had felt so real to Gibbs in a long time and even though he knew that other people were still thinking that he was crazy for putting up with Tony, he knew better. He knew that while their relationship didn't seem to make much sense from the outside, it did make sense from the inside. And whenever one of them would cross the edge of their inner logic, the other one would just pull them back in. It was their way of dealing with their relationship and it had worked perfectly fine that past year and Gibbs was sure that it would work just as well for all the days to come.

Moving Tony in with him was just the first step into a hopefully bright future for the two of them. Sometimes late at night when Tony's snoring kept him up, Gibbs would think about the time when they were both retired and old, sailing on one of the boats that he had built, with nothing to worry about and no one to disturb their peace of mind. It wasn't like he had voiced that particular idea to Tony yet and he probably wouldn't for at least another few years, but Gibbs was sure that the younger man would love the thought of it, would love the thought of growing old together.

But for the time being, Gibbs was perfectly fine with just standing there in their front yard with snow falling down on him, looking at two crooked-shaped snowmen and holding on to Tony's hand tightly.

-THE END-

* * *

><p><em>AN: I would love to hear your thoughts and thanks again ;)_


End file.
